They became like family, now they can’t wait to return home

There was an uncomfortable initial impasse when the players walked out of the lounge. The spikers were dazed, the scribes confused. The media knew the names of the Thailand heroes but their general knowledge was lacking when it came to who’s who.

The ‘identity crisis’ became almost chaotic when it came to spotting out the outstanding performers. It seemed out of place to say: Can Rathish, Kamaraj, Sanjay, Kulwant please stand up?

Finally it was Kamaraj, named the ‘world’s best setter’, who came to the rescue. As he fished out a gleaming golden trophy from his cabin bag, the mystery was somewhat unfolded. Unassuming and shorter than his colleagues, he opened up after a few minutes to talk about the ‘‘arduous training sessions’’ — and the fact that he’s met his parents once in past year and a half.

‘‘It’s impossible to get time. Either I’ve been training in Dehra Dun, where I work, or at the camp in Patiala,’’ he says. Did the world take notice of him when the ‘best setter’ award went to an Indian, not quite known for their volleyball skills?

‘‘The Brazilian coach went to our coach Sreedharan and asked him to pass on his compliments to me. No one expected us to do well, so we surprised everyone,’’ he says.

Another surprise packet was Sanjay, who missed the title of the ‘best attacker’ by just one point. He comes from Bhiwani in Harayana where, he says, volleyball is still THE sport despite cricket’s intruding presence.

Sanjay is, to use a volleyball phrase, a ‘universal’ player, proficient in both attacking and blocking, and was named the ‘Most Valuable Player’ at the Asian Championship few months back.

Son of a farmer and two national level volleyball playing brothers, Sanjay today is the pride of Bhiwani.

‘‘My parents told me that the villagers have organised a felicitation function for me, as I am the first World Cup medallist from this area,’’ he says. Ask him about the welcome and he talks about ‘‘a ‘tractor-cade’ reception followed by a bada khana.’’

The six-foot-six gentle giant talks about his keenness to reach Bhiwani and meet his folks. He then drops his voice to add, ‘‘In the last eight months, I have just been home only once. And that too when my uncle died last month.’’

The small-town success story happens to be the common thread that bonds close friends Sanjay and libero Kulwant.

From Tekri village near Delhi, Kulwant too missed the ‘best’ title by one point. Kulwant is the team’s backroom boy who never goes near the net and is the last line of defence.

Asked what would be the one reason for this success, he said it was the bonding they enjoyed.

‘‘After being away from home for long, we are like a family. My teammates are like my brothers and the coaches are the parents. This bonding helped us play well,’’ he said.

Ask skipper Rathish the same question and you get a similar answer. ‘‘We believed in ourselves after the Asian Championship gold. Besides since the world didn’t know about us, we surprised everyone,’’ he says. Rathish, though born in Patna, hails from Kerala.

With no sporting tradition in the family, Rathish’s parents always pushed him to be a ‘‘doctor or an engineer.’’ But Rathish knew what his strength was. ‘‘I was always much taller than the normal kids of my age. So I took to volleyball,’’ he said.

Today things have changed and Rathish talks about his father, who has retired and will be staying with him at the Dehra Dun where he is a Grade III officer. ‘‘Our salaries are good and volleyball has been a good choice for me,’’ he says proudly.

As the mediamen drifted after lunch, VFI general secretary K Murugan excused himself and headed towards the boys bunched around a table. ‘‘A cup of strong South Indian coffee for me and the boys, please,’’ he told the waiter. That must have been the sweetest coffee he’d ever tasted.