India spikers plead for more games after silver show in CAVA Men’s Nations League

CHENNAI: Despite having their backs to the wall, the India men’s volleyball team showed glimpses of what they can achieve with a little bit of support.

Playing in their first tournament since the Asian Games two years ago, India earned the silver medal at the CAVA Nations League in Fergana, Uzbekistan. While India lost twice to a second-string Iran (world No. 15) side, including the 0-3 (17-25, 20-25, 19-25) defeat in the final on Wednesday, they had four successive victories sandwiched between the results.

After giving a good account of themselves, considering the difficult circumstances, the players pleaded for more exposure to scale greater heights. To lend perspective, India jumped more than 100 places during the event to reach No. 51 in the rankings.

“We had only a three-week camp before the tournament and did not play any practice matches. We still managed to reach the final. It shows that we can perform at this level if we have more game time under our belt,” setter A Muthusamy told TOI from Fergana.

Opposite hitter Jerome Vinith echoed Muthusamy’s sentiments. “We need to have camps for a longer duration; we need to be together for about three months. We must also play more matches against international teams; match practice is pretty important,” said Vinith, one of the more experienced members in the squad.

Vinith and Muthusamy stressed that the players and staff, led by head coach Dragan Mihailovic, were determined to prove a point at the Nations League. “We were highly motivated coming into the tournament. Dragan and his staff worked day and night to ensure that we were well-prepared to take on any opponent. They have helped us adapt to modern volleyball with their inputs,” said the 32-year-old Vinith.

“We were a bit rusty in our first match against Iran (Pool A clash), but the players gelled better on court as the tournament progressed. The good thing for us was that different players stood up at different times; it was a total team effort,” Muthusamy added.

According to Vinith, the “right” make-up of the squad helped India display their potential. “There was a good mix of youth and experience. While the youngsters brought the energy to the court, players like me tried to pass on our knowledge to them. We have seen instances when teams packed with youngsters or experienced players have struggled,” Vinith said.