PVL: Felt surreal to perform on such a big stage, says Hyderabad Black Hawks' SV Guru

Table toppers Kolkata Thunderbolts will be up against Hyderabad Black Hawks in the twelfth match of the Prime Volleyball League at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in here on Tuesday.

SV Guru Prasanth, the Player of the Match in Hyderabad Black Hawks' 5-0 victory over Chennai Blitz on Sunday, expressed that he felt surreal to perform on such a big stage.

"It felt really good to win the match 5-0, especially after two defeats in a row. We'll look to do well in the upcoming games and hopefully, we'll reach the semi-finals. It was wonderful to play in the starting six for the first time and it felt surreal to perform on such a big platform."

Asked about their remarkable comeback from being down 9-14 to winning 15-14 in the first set, the Universal player said, "The team lagged behind in the first set because we fielded a new combination for the match. However, we found our rhythm as the match progressed. We played an excellent game and everything happened in our favour. We have a good chemistry as a team, which helped us to keep fighting throughout the match."

Speaking about their next match against the Black Hawks, Kolkata Thunderbolts Captain Ashwal Rai said, "The Hyderabad Black Hawks played really well against Chennai Blitz to win 5-0. However, we know the Hyderabad players' game very well and we will devise our plans according to the way they carry out their game. We will give our best and not be deterred by their form. We will trust our plan and focus on executing it."

The Thunderbolts have won all three of their matches in the tournament so far. Asked about the secret behind their success this season, the skipper said, "We only think about our next match and we don't think too much about our past matches. We devise our strategies and try to execute them. There's no extra pressure on any of the players, whether we win or lose. Everyone has been given the freedom to play their own games. Our goal is to win the competition and we will try our level best to do so. All of us trust each other within the group and that's our biggest strength as a side."