Chennai: At 2.06 metres, G.R. Vaishnav is the tallest member of the Tamil Nadu volleyball team. The blocker’s performances are seldom short of expectations. Maybe rising to the occasion isn’t a problem for this towering player. Vaishnav’s sparkling form helped Tamil Nadu win their ninth national title recently.
The IOB officer isn’t only on top in blocking, his primary duty; he also has a stinging smash. Powerful jump service, another facet of his game, came to the fore at the national championship. The superb all-round development of Vaishnav bodes well for Indian volleyball.
Nothing is more important in sports than the hunger to win and the No. 1 blocker in India hates to lose.
Vaishnav, 24, answered Deccan Chronicle’s off-beat questions.
Other sports played in school: Athletics and cricket.
What would you have done without volleyball? I was good at studies. I would have become a scientist or an aeronautical engineer. My grandfather is an aeronautical engineer and he is my inspiration.
Most memorable sporting moment: Finishing fourth at the 2009 world junior championship in Pune. I played a stellar role in beating Russia, one of the strongest teams in the tournament, in the quarterfinal league. I would also never forget my debut for the Indian team at the youth and senior categories.
Worst sporting moment: Losing to ONGC in the final of the national club volleyball championship in Chennai last year. A defeat at the hands of SRM in the state championship final in 2013 also hurt me.
Sporting heroes: Dhoni, Sachin and Ponting.
Favourite venue: Pune
Sporting event you would pay the most to watch: Olympic 100m final involving Usain Bolt.
Question most asked by the public: How did you grow so tall?
Sporting motto: Be positive.
Advice to youngsters: Work hard. Discipline is important, as is devotion to the game.
Who would you most like to invite to dinner — why? Dhoni. He is a leader and a great decision maker.
The best volleyball match you ever watched: The youth world championship final between Iran and Serbia in 2009.
Favourite holiday spot: My home in Coimbatore because I hardly spend time with my family members.
Favourite hobby: Going out with friends.
Pet name: V.
Biggest extravaganza: Dresses and perfumes.
What does he never leave home without? Coolers.
Where does he see himself in five years?
An Arjuna award winner with a remarkable position in Indian volleyball.
Don Bosco 'A' earns easy win
Don Bosco 'A' earns easy win
DC CORRESPONDENT
Don Bosco ‘A’ earned a thumping 115-run win against St. John’s in the DB-MRF U-15 cricket tournament. Batting first Don Bosco scored a mammoth 216 for five in 30 overs.
Their innings was propelled by a few useful cameos from Ashwin (35), Premal Joshi (57) and M. Akram Khan’s 44. Set to score at over seven runs an over St. John’s never threatened to make a match of it as they were bundled out for a meagre 101 in their full quota of 30 overs. Barring P.J. Antony prem (34) and M. Girish Kumar (25), none of the other batsmen could make any impact.
Premal Joshi was chosen for the man-of-the-match award.
Brief scores: Don Bosco ‘A’ 216/5 in 30 overs (B. Ashwin 35, M. Leo Sachin 42, Premal M Joshi 57, M. Akram Khan 44) bt St. John’s 101 in 30 overs (P.J. Antony Prem 34, M. Girish Kumar 25). MoM: Premal Joshi; Don Bosco ‘B’ 107 in 20.2 overs (Faizan 4/25, S. Abhishek 3/37) lost to St. John’s (Bengaluru) 109/7 in 28 overs (S. Deepak 34, Dhiraj Rathore 3/26). MoM: Faizan; Chinmaya Vidyalaya 145/9 in 30 overs (Siddhanth 47, R. Praveen 42, P. Vidyuth 3/24, M. Prashanth 3/33, K. Ajay 3/9) bt Vidya Mandir 115 in 27.2 overs (K. Ajay 33, Subhang 3/14). MoM: Siddhanth; PS SSS 136/7 in 30 overs (L.J. Mukund 27, M. Aditya Srinivas 28) lost to St. Patrick’s AIHSS 137/5 in 30 overs (S. Shyam Sundar 30, M. Sharan 43). MoM: M. Sharan; Santhome 252/3 in 30 overs (Aditya Barooah 75, Girish Prabhu 62, Mohammed Suhail 50, Sai Krishnamoorthy 54*) bt PSBB KK Nagar 141 in 28.3 overs (V. Sriram 41, Girish Prabhu 3/22). MoM: Girish Prabhu; St. Michael’s 97/8 in 30 overs (Ryan Jebaraj 48, Mano Balaji 2/19) lost to Nellai Nadar 99/2 in 20.2 overs (Saifullah 49*). MoM: Saifullah; Chettinad Vidyashram 127/6 in 30 overs (Surya Kanth 69*) lost to St. Bede’s 129/4 in 24.3 overs (Dilip 29, Hemacharan 58*). MoM: Hemacharan.
M. Danial, an employee of State Bank of India, Chennai, has been appointed as coach of the Madhya Pradesh football team for the Santosh Trophy. MP will be playing their matches at Vasco, Goa, from January 20 to February 8.
S. Kantharaj, former Wimco, Tamil Nadu and Postal department football player, died on Thursday morning. He was 65. The son of I. Shanmugam, former Chennai Football Association (CFA) secretary, collapsed during his morning walk. Kantharaj had served as an assistant secretary of the CFA. The funeral will be held on Saturday.
