Will Raipur bring back luck?
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Sachin Tendulkar calls the Sydney Cricket Ground a special venue, thanks to the records he holds there.
Likewise, every sportsman or team has a special venue, where they have pleasant memories or glorious images of sweet triumph. For Kerala volleyball, one such location is Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh, where the sixtieth senior national championship has begun.
The men’s team of Kerala has always been one of the best in the country, but it would be nice to remember that the state last won a men’s title 10 years ago, when the championship was previously hosted in Raipur.
So, when Kerala, runner-up in last year’s national event, begin their competition in Raipur there are high hopes of a rewind of the historic success created a decade ago.
And even as we recall the past success of our men’s team, the health of the state women’s team is on the upswing. The Kerala women were runner’s-up in the last two editions of the national championship and are expected to do even better this time around.
Meanwhile, the latest news from Raipur does not look all that rosy for the state as two players in the men’s team have been taken ill, which is a major setback, believes Coach M. D. Samuel. K. G. Rakesh and Vibin M. George developed viral fever ahead of their crucial opener against Punjab.
“The illness is a major worry for us because they are both players we cannot afford to leave out. Anyway the team is otherwise doing well and there are two senior players like Tom Joseph and Anil B.,” said Samuel.
Meanwhile, the women’s team coach E. K. Ranjan said they have a young squad and were hopeful of making the finals without much trouble.
“Sheeba P. V. is our most experienced player, she has been in the team for about 10 years and then there is Tiji Raju,” said Ranjan.
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