Table Tennis: Maria believes in attacking

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At six, Maria used to accompany her father Rony and elder brother K.C. to the Alappuzha YMCA, where as they played basketball she would walk across the table tennis room and try to reach out and cover the width of the boards.

Gradually the kid developed a fascination for the TT table and a natural affinity to the sport, which eight years down that line has transformed her into one of the finest emerging paddlers in the country.

Maria has been selected, as the only Indian, in the Asian team that will take part in the Global Cadet Challenge to be held in Puerto Rico from January 14 to 22. She also becomes the first Kerala player set to appear in the global stage. She was selected as the fourth player based on her performance in the 17th Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship held in Delhi.

“I cannot be more impatient, I am so excited about playing in the global challenge where the best junior players will be competing. I know, to be realistic, the challenge will be too good for me, but I will play for a medal,” said Maria.

The Chinese and the Koreans reign supreme in this game of speed and technique and the world stage might be dumbstruck to find an Indian in the list that has three other players — China’s Liu Gaoyang, Kim Jisun of Korea and Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong.

Maria has had a terrific season, in the start of which she won silver in the team event for India in the US Open Table Tennis Tourney held in Milwaukee, USA. She also played the pre-quarters in two other tournaments in Metz, France and Barcelona, Spain this year. Maria is ranked 92nd in the world and 15th in the national junior category.

“I believe my strength is that I play an attacking game and try to maintain my composure throughout the match. Of course I get a lot of mental courage from my parents and through prayer,” said the 14-year-old coached by former player Bobby Joseph.

She get inspiration from Chinese table tennis legend Zhang Yining, who is considered as one of the finest women players ever. “Yining is an aggressive player, I met her once, I was so excited then. I think I got some of her style,” says Maria.

At the age of 11, while still a participant in the cadet group, Maria had competed in the women’s category and won the state championship, later the Kerala team captained by her lifted its maiden national title in Vijayawada in 2008.

Even while she is busy moving around the country and abroad playing table tennis, this ninth standard student of SDV School Alappuzha finds time to settle down after play to write assignments and revise the notes borrowed from her colleagues.

“I never want to miss my studies, but I also want to the world number one someday,” says the humble girl. Impressive, Isn’t it?