Nervousness and excitement seized Grigo Mathew when he learnt he was appointed the Kerala men’s basketball team captain for the senior national tournament in Ludhiana from December 3 to 10. It was his sister Grima who would be leading the women’s team, in a rare instance of siblings leading their teams in the nationals.
While it’s Grigo’s first major tournament, Grima has led her state in the past and donned the country colours as well. So, she knew she had to call. “A quick chat with her eased all my nerves,” says Grigo, “I felt I was ready for the challenge.”
This has been the story through the life and career so far of Grima and Grigo, now 28 and 25, the two having grown up to be “friends and fellow players”.
Somehow, the sister telepathically reads the brother’s mind, mentors him, inspires him and, as he interjects, “advises him a lot”. “No, no, not much,” she says, giggling. “We inspire each other. There are some aspects of the game that I look to learn from him too, and the other way round.”
In Grima’s contacts list, Grigo’s name is ‘Akkosotta’, an adorable but naughty Nepali boy from an old Malayalam blockbuster and Mohanlal-starrer Yoddha. When they are together at their home in Koratty in Kerala’s Thrissur district, basketball spontaneously sneaks into their conversations. When in different cities, it’s basketball that still dominates their discussions.
“Even when we are playing in different cities, we still watch each other’s games, either stream it, or watch the highlights and talk about the game later,” Grigo says.
If Grigo is going through a rough patch, it’s Grima he first turns to. If Grima has a doubt about something, it’s Grigo she speed-dials. “ In a way, we are siblings, friends and fellow players,” says Grima.
The love for the game in the family, though, was first sown by their eldest sister, Griya, whose career was curtailed by a back injury.
“At one point in time, we were going through financial strife and were frequently changing schools. But because Griya was so good at playing basketball, she was easily getting admissions and the fees used to be nominal. So my parents, even though they are not from a sports background, encouraged us to pick the sport,” says Grima.
Grima’s motive was different. “I liked travelling and if I am in the team, I could travel and visit places for free. After every trip, Griya would bring something for us and tell us stories about the places. It captured my imagination,” she says.
In the first few years, for all her natural shooting and defending prowess, she was just keen on travelling. She never took the game seriously until she was once discarded from the team for sub-junior nationals. “I felt like I should prove them wrong and started training with all my focus and came back,” she says.
The theme would recur throughout her career until she broke into the national team in 2018. She would travel abroad, soak in the culture of different countries and seal her spot in the side, before a cartilage injury on ankle stalled her career.
“I was out for three years, had multiple surgeries and bone implantation and was on the verge of depression. I thought of quitting the sport several times,” she recalls.
But again, a coach’s doomsday talk fired her up. “A childhood coach of mine told me that it would be difficult for me to play again, to regain my old level. He was just being practical, and was just a well-wisher. Probably, he was saying this for my own good, but I determined myself that I would not only make a comeback but also win back all that I had lost,” she says.
Around the same time, the basketball bug bit Grigo, too. “At that time I wanted to be a cricketer or do something in athletics. I did not have the height to be a basketball player and I had seen my two sisters getting badly injured,” says Grigo.
But the perceptions changed when he dramatically put on the inches. “During my undergraduate days, I seemed to gain an inch every month. I also realised Grima’s commitment and Griya’s pain and I resolved to be a basketballer at least for them, to realise their dreams. Maybe, I was destined” he says.
The family believes a lot in destiny. “We are a spiritual family and believe that whatever happens is the wish of the god,” says Grima. “My father used to tell me that I have a special blessing to overcome adversities.”
Having a brother to dribble the ball around during her rehab days was a blessing. “He was a huge support for me during the injury days. His presence would lighten my mood and I could, of course, talk about the game and play a bit of basketball too,” she says.
Slowly, she retraced the lost steps and is living on the dream to don the India shirt once more. “Just one more game, I would not care what happens after that,” she says.
The same dream fuels Grigo, who has never represented his country before.
“It would be nicer if we both get to the Indian team together,” he says.
Grima, 28, and Grigo, 25, are leading the Kerala women’s and men’s basketball teams in the national championship. (Express Photo) 
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