Indian spikers in race against time before Asian Games
The Indian contingent after the silver-medal finish at the CAVA Nations League
CHENNAI: Indian volleyball is not in the best shape. Issues on the administrative front have severely impacted the growth of the men's team, which appeared to be on the rise with a sixth-place finish at the Hangzhou
Asian Games
two years ago.
India were forced to disappear from the international scene after that, before returning to action at the recent CAVA Nations League in Uzbekistan. Despite all odds, they remarkably secured the silver medal in the zonal tournament.
Having masterminded India's second-place finish, head coach Dragan Mihailovic said that the team can break into the top-25 with good exposure. India, whose name did not feature on the FIVB ranking list ahead of the Nations League, are currently placed 52nd in the chart.
'100%, it is logical that we can do much better with more matches. India have the potential and can be in the top-25 in the world,' Dragan told TOI.
The players were involved in only a few top-level club tournaments between the Asian Games and Nations League – Club World Championships and Prime Volleyball League. With the next Asian Games about a year away, India are racing against time.
'The recipe for success is very simple. We have to keep the national-team players together for a longer duration and give them the opportunity to play more official and friendly matches. The biggest difference between India and the top Asian teams is international exposure. They play between 50 to 75 matches every year. To get there, India may need five to 10 years!'
Dragan was 'pleasantly surprised' with the way the players, who were starved of game time at the international level, approached the Nations League.
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'Every one of them showed a professional attitude, right from the time we began our preparation to the time we returned to India. The support staff worked hard to ensure the players delivered their maximum,' said Dragan.
Asked how India managed to make it to the podium, Dragan replied: 'We did not have a lot of time to prepare, so the complete focus was on how we were going to fit the players into our systems. We knew that if all the players understood and accepted the systems and respected them during matches, we would be able to perform well.'
'Video analysis key in modern volleyball'
Dragan stressed on the importance of technology in modern volleyball. Recently, A Muthusamy and Jerome Vinith, members of India's Nations League squad, were all praise for the chief coach's methods, saying that he lent a 'new perspective'.
'Video analysis is a significant tool. We want to provide our players with an opportunity to stay in the same situation as the players in the world's best teams. With video analysis and a specialised programme, we enable the players to better understand their performances and the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents,' said Dragan.
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