Shabeer: Rising in stature

KOCHI: Growing up as a child in the modest surroundings of the railway colony at Umminy in Palakkad, Shabeer Bappu never thought of kabaddi as anything more than a leisure time vocation. His aspirations were pinned on athletics and he had actively taken part in district school meets as a long-jumper.
But injuries at a very early stage curtailed his hopes of making it big as an athlete.Then in the year 2004, after completing his plus two education, Shabeer attended a kabaddi selection trial at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Chennai and with his good physique, he easily got through. That turned his life around.
Now 11 years on, he is one of the most sought-after raiders in the county and with the Pro Kabaddi League becoming a big success, leading kabaddi players like Shabeer are finally getting the recognition they deserve. “Life has changed a lot after Pro Kabaddi. More people have started recognising us and generally people's interest in kabaddi has also grown," the 29-year-old who was picked by U Mumba for 10.6 lakhs in the auction before the first season in 2014 told TOI.
It was a great acknowledgement of Shabeer's skills that the he was chosen to complement captain Anup Kumar to lead Mumbai's raids. Shabeer has the ability to come up with vital moves in a match to turn the fortunes of his team around, said U Mumba coach Bhaskaran Edachery.
“In last season's final, it was Shabeer's raid in the closing stages that put us ahead," said Bhaskaran reminiscing his star player's efforts to overturn the lead and help Mumba win the title clash against Bengaluru Bulls.
Shabeer and Bhaskaran go a long way back. It was Bhaskaran who spotted Shabeer's talent and recruited him to the Services team post his college education in Chennai. Then after five years, in 2011, State Bank of Mysore offered him a job and ever since then he has been playing for the bank and has represented Karnataka in national championships too.
Though he has not yet made his debut for the Indian team, he has been in the national camp for the last two years. “In the 2016 South Asian Games, Shabeer has a good chance of making it to the Indian team based on his recent performances," said Bhaskaran.
It is the platform laid by Pro Kabaddi that has given Shabeer the opportunity to exhibit his skills to a far wider audience and he gave a lot of credit to the league. “The skill levels have improved a lot due to Pro Kabaddi. Also there is a lot more professionalism involved right from practice to gameplay. Then there is obviously the benefit of getting paid good money," said the Palakkad lad who is sharpening his tools ahead of the third edition of the league scheduled to start on January 30.