Hyderabad, 06 February 2022: The Calicut Heroes and Kolkata Thunderbolts are in readiness to go up against each other in the third fixture of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday, 07 February 2022.
Speaking ahead of their first match in the season, Kolkata Thunderbolts’ Anu James said, “The RuPay Prime Volleyball League will be a really good experience for our team. It’s been nice to practice with my teammates and we are ready for the tournament. We have good international players in Matthew August & Ian Satterfield and we have fantastic icon players in Ashwal Rai and Vinit Kumar. We have the team to perform well in this competition.”
When asked about his family background, the Attacker said, “My parents have been supportive of my volleyball career. My father is a labour worker in Kuwait and my mother is a homemaker. I have not spent a lot of time with my father. He comes to visit my mother and myself every three years. He spends three months with us whenever he comes home. I have never visited my father in Kuwait. It’s been difficult, but we are used to it now.”
Speaking about the preparations of the Calicut Heroes team, Ajithlal C said, “Our preparations are going really well. We are waiting for tomorrow’s match. Our main focus will be to fight till the end. Whether we are winning or losing, we will keep fighting till the last point.”
When asked about how he stumbled upon the sport, the Attacker said, “I started playing volleyball because my father is also a volleyball player. I started playing the game after the 10th standard. My family’s situation wasn’t very good and therefore I started learning the game very late in my life. My father, who has played at the district and club level, is a farmer and my mother is a homemaker. My father still continues to play for a club.”
The 25-year-old also spoke about grabbing every opportunity he got during his volleyball career, “I got a lot of chances in my life and I tried my best every time I got an opportunity. I am the only one in my family to pass 12th standard and go to college and that’s why I am here today. I learned a lot about the game of volleyball in my college days. However, I didn’t complete my degree as I got a job offer from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited through sports quota. Thereafter, I put my full focus on playing professional volleyball.”
The Calicut Heroes will take on the Kolkata Thunderbolts at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in the third match of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League in Hyderabad at 1900 hrs IST on Monday, 07 February 2022
