Kerala’s loss is Tamil nadu’s gain

Chennai: It would be easy to find out the house of G.S. Akhin at Pallickal near Trivandrum once you get down the bus. Everyone in the village, which is one and a half hour’s drive from the Kerala capital, knows him.

That’s what sports can do: create a hero. “I’m a hero in my village these days,” Akhin laughed. The 22-year-old was a key player of the triumphant Tamil Nadu team at the recently concluded 62nd senior national volleyball championship in Uttar Pradesh.

Thanks to DD Sports’ broadcast of the event, people at Pallickal know what a good player Akhin is.

Akhin left his native village as a gawky youngster two years ago to join G.E. Sridharan’s volleyball academy in Coimbatore. He recently returned to Pallickal — for a well-earned break — as one of the top blockers in the country.

The transformation is as swift as it is productive. “I never thought I would do so well in such a short time when I joined Sriram’s Academy. I owe my progress to Mr Sridharan. He is everything to me,” said Akhin, a third year BBA student of Krishna Arts and Science College in Coimbatore.

Abdul Bari was Akhin’s first coach at a club in his village. “I didn’t know anything about volleyball before I went to him. Mr Bari was the most influential person in my formative years. And my game has improved by several notches under the care of Mr Sridharan. I learned a lot — I’m still learning — in Coimbatore,” the national gold medallist said.

Akhin has earned the distinction of winning the national championship on his debut. He indeed played like a battle-hardened pro. There was no hint of nerves in his performance throughout. If G.R. Vaishnav was on fire in one row for Tamil Nadu, the debutant wasn’t far behind in the other row. Even Vaishnav, who is India’s No.1 blocker, had words of praise for Akhin’s maturity.

The new kid on the block said his happiness knew no bounds after Tamil Nadu thrashed Uttarakhand 3-0 in the final. “Without a doubt the title is the highlight of my career. The whole team was confident of winning but we never thought it would be so easy in the final,” he added.

Akhin thanked the senior members of the Tamil Nadu team for making him feel at home immediately.

“Blocker Pradeep, a fixture in the Indian team, was always ready to help me with technical and psychological inputs. I would also not forget the support of all the other members of the team. Tamil Nadu coach Mr Sundaram ensured that I was able to play my natural game. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” he said.

The dream of the blocker, who is 2.03m tall, is to cement his place in the Indian team. The day isn’t far off, as he has already attended a senior India camp. His superb show at the nationals should strengthen his credentials further.

Sridharan said Akhin had an explosive jump and a fine blocking ability even as a raw hand. “He has the height and strength to excel as a blocker. This boy is India material and will go far. Unlike many Kerala players, he has the hunger to succeed at the top level. He wants to achieve something in his career.

Above all, he is always sincere in training,” the Dronacharya award winner added.

According to Sridharan, his pupil isn’t a finished product yet. “He has to improve his attack and serving. It’s imperative that he joins a good team. For example, Vaishnav left my academy a few years ago as a fine blocker. He has now matured into an explosive attacker and server after joining IOB. I hope Akhin, too, joins a top team to become a complete player like Vaishnav,” he said.

Akhin may call Kerala his home state but his heart is in Tamil Nadu. The blocker wants to join a team in Tamil Nadu, the volleyball capital of India, to chase his dreams in the all-action sport.

Gandhi CC cruise to win

S. Somaguru’s sparkling 101 paved the way for Gandhi CC to register an emphatic 104-run win against Young Men’s CC in the TNCA fifth division league. Riding on Somaguru’s ton Gandhi CC set a daunting target of 291 for Young Men’s CC. In reply the latter kept losing wickets in clusters to get skittled out for just 186 in 39.1 overs.

Brief scores: V division ‘D’: Varsity Occasionals 151 in 49.2 overs (K. Neelagandan 4/44, T. Karthik 3/40) lost to Madras Fertilizers Limited Recreation Club 154/8 in 40.1 overs (S. Arif 46, P.R. Sylvester Jayan 3/31); Jubilee Cricket Club 180 in 50 overs (R. Sricharan 32, C. Thirumoorthi 3/52) lost to Tiger Cricket Club 184/8 in 41.5 overs (T. Meganathan 70*, S. Sumangal 5/40, N. Jayaraman 3/36); Egmore Excelsiors 150 in 49.4 overs (S. Vinoth Kumar 46, R. Ganesh 37*, S. Vinod Kumar 4/34) lost to Nungambakkam Sports Club 151/6 in 41.4 overs (S. Vinod Kumar 52, Sanket Bharadwaj 3/62); Gandhi Cricket Club 290/6 in 50 overs (S. Sornaguru 101, Nidhish S Rajagopal 80, S. Sabarinathan 46, R. Sriram 3/65) bt Young Men’s Cricket Club 186 in 39.1 overs (J. Syed Haseeb Pasha 73, P. Dinakaran 3/41, A. Satish 3/58); Chatnath Recreation Club 199 in 46.3 overs (D. Ramakrishnan 46, R. Rahul 36, K.G. Ramesh Kumar 5/39) lost to Grand Prix Cricket Club 205/6 in 43.4 overs (K. Harish Chaitanya 87, S. Prasanna Venkatesan 43, J. Manivannan 4/55); Hunters XI 296/8 in 50 overs (K. Ranga Kumar 52, R. Sabaorish 123, R. Thameem Ansari 3/63) bt Venkat Cricket Club 143 in 30.2 overs (K. Sitharaman 3/18, D. Alexander David Raj 5/45).

Girls chess championship

The 25th Tamil Nadu state U-17 open and girls chess championship for N. R. Krishnamma Raja rolling shield will be organised by Sivakasi Chess Club and Rajapalayam Chess Club from January 20 to 25 at Kamarajar Kalayana Mandapam, Rajapalayam. The total prize money is '25, 000. Players born on or after 1.1.1997 are eligible to participate. Every affiliated member of the TN State Chess Association can field two entries in each category. The normal entry fee is '250 for open and girls and the special entry fee for open category is '500 while for girls it is '450. Entries close on January 17. For details contact: 94431 55852.

District chess selection

The Chennai District Chess Association will conduct district chess selection for U-7 and 17 for boys and girls on January 18 and 19 at Little Flower MHSS, near Ashok Pillar. Only registered players of Chennai district can take part. The entry fee is '100 per player. Last date for entries is January 16. For details contact: 94442 85482; 98401 82753.