Tamil Nadu volleyball players left in the lurch

That not a single player from TN found a place in the list has come as a rude shock to a state that has a rich and veritable history of producing many distinguished players in the past. What is more, Tamil Nadu is also regarded as a feeder centre as in the last edition of Asian Games at Incheon, where there were as many as six TN players who made it through. 

Asked for the reason behind the glaring absence, national coach GE Sridharan, himself a native of Coimbatore, said that no player from TN attended the selection. “There is no prejudice from our side. More than 70 players from all over India took part in the selection held at the SAI Centre, Aurangabad on November 27 and 28. All the shortlisted players who made the cut were picked only on merit,” said the 63-year-old Sridharan, quashing any reports of injustice. 

However, in what should come as a relief, Sridharan added that the door is not shut on the inclusion of TN players. “Hyderabad will host the National Championship next month and if there are any impressive performers from not just TN, but from any other state as well, we will certainly consider them for selection,” added Sridharan, who is currently overseeing the preparatory camp for the probables in Aurangabad.

When asked for his views on this subject, Ramavtar Singh Jakhar, secretary of the Volleyball Federation of India, blamed the TN players for playing truant and avoiding the trials. “In what way can the federation be responsible if the players choose to absent themselves from the trials. We are unaware of the reason for them staying away. Given the situation, the selection committee did its best in picking the most competent players,” remarked Ramavtar. Unlike Sridharan, Ramavtar offered no assurances if there would still be a sliver of opportunity for the players to be considered in the event of them doing well at the National Championship. 

The secretary of Tamil Nadu Volleyball Association, AK Chithraipandian, however, had an entirely different take on the matter. According to Chitraipandian, not just the players from his state but all those who have seen the axe fall on them, have brought this plight upon themselves for fudging their age and projecting themselves as much younger than what they really are. If there is some source of solace amidst this selection imbroglio, it is that S Prabhagaran and his namesake P Prabhakaran, although from Railways, are true-blue sons of the soil and have been included in the probables.