Having been out of action for more than a year, Indian table tennis ace Soumyajit Ghosh says his mission at the 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open is solely about getting his fitness up to speed and testing himself against quality players.

Ghosh accounted for Nigeria’s top-ranked player Aruna Quadri’s at the 2015 World Championship in China when he defeated the Nigerian in the first round of the men’s singles and his records as the youngest Indian player to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics and the youngest Indian national champion at 19 remains unparalleled.

And as he gets set to make his debut in the Nigeria Open which serves off on 7 August the 2017 Chile Open champion says he hopes to use the tournament to regain his confidence on the table and get back in competitive shape.

“I am very happy to participate in the 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open, as I have heard a lot about the tournament but never got an opportunity and finally this time, I will be part of it in Lagos,” he said.

“I heard from other friends that it is a good tournament to play and crowd is very expressive there. My expectation from myself would be, just play my best as I am coming back to the game after a long time absent from the international circuit.

“Right now, I just want to start the matches from there and then later I can set some targets. Now I am prepared to play some international games with high-quality players,” he added.

The 26-year-old admitted that Nigeria’s rise as a table tennis force has been remarkable and said homeboy Aruna Quadri will be one to watch at the competition.

“This will be my first visit to Africa and Nigeria is great now in table tennis and how they have improved is remarkable to see. “I know Aruna is playing well at present but we will see what will happen in Lagos,” he added.