Chennai: After winning the national championship at Chennai in 2010, the Tamil Nadu volleyball team flattered to deceive in the two subsequent editions. They fell to Uttarakhand in the semifinals in 2011 and crashed to Kerala in the final last year.
Can Tamil Nadu reclaim the title this year? “Yes, we can,“ says coach P.Sundaram. “We have players to do the job.“
The confidence of Sundaram, who will be at the helm of the state team for the first time in his career, stems from the fact that Tamil Nadu have three current India players -setter M. Ukkrapandian, blocker G.R. Vaishnav and attacker M. Naveen Raja Jacob -in their ranks.
SRM universal C. Jerome Vinith who single-handedly plotted IOB's downfall in the state championship final recently is another exciting prospect at the disposal of Sundaram.
As IOB coach, Sundaram observed the prowess of Vinith at close quarters. He was impressed by what he saw. “Vinith has everything -height, power and strength -a top universal requires. I like the way he stretches his body when he smashes the ball. I hope he is able to carry forward his state championship form to the nationals. If Vinith plays to his potential, I have no doubt that he can be a match-winner for us,“ he added.
Sundaram's main job with Vinith would be to get the SRM all-rounder play his natural game. The coach has an astute mind and can easily read a player's mind and performance. Playing in his maiden nationals, Vinith would look up to Sundaram for guidance.
The Tamil Nadu coach is also happy with the form of Naveen, one of the best players to have come out of the state in recent times.
Naveen was in his element at the state championship and Tamil Nadu will be a difficult team to beat if he fires on all cylinders.
Kerala, champions in the last two editions, would once again be Tamil Nadu's principal opponents.
“Kerala Police have strengthened their squad and it's helping the state.
Uttarakhand have quality players but their performance would depend on how they train before the nationals,“ Sundaram said.
The 62nd national championship will get underway in UP from December 22.
Tamil Nadu's preparatory camp will start at the Nehru Stadium from Friday . Sundaram will zero in on his final 12 after the camp.
Tamil Nadu won the title in the following years: 1975, 1990 to 94, 2009 & 2010.
