India’s men’s table tennis stars must feel hard done given they have a powerhouse in China to contend with here. On Friday evening, in the round of 16, India’s star paddler G Sathiyan lost in the men’s singles to China’s Wang Chuqin 0-4 and then went down 0-3 in the doubles alongside Achanta Sharath Kamal to the Chinese pair of Chuqin and Fan Zhendong.

So what makes China’s TT players almost invincible? “It’s a combination of exclusive equipment and a ruthless strategy that begins early,” explains Sathiyan. “All Chinese players use a special Hurricane DHS rubber for their racquets. This rubber is only made in China and very difficult to play with for the first few years. It is hard and offers a lot of spin and high impact which can only be generated with a lot of power in your swing,” says Sathiyan.