Shailaja Jain admits that hardly anybody outside her kabaddi sport fraternity circle knew her before the Iran’s women team under her coaching won gold at the Jakarta-Palembang 2018 Asian Games.
The women’s team from Iran under Shailaja’s coaching lifted the kabaddi gold defeating India 27-24 in the final. On Saturday, the 61-year-old coach was in the city to receive Symbiosis Kridabhushan Award at the Symbiosis Sports Centre.
Hailing from Maharashtra’s Nashik, Shailaja received the offer from Iran to coach their national women’s kabaddi team. She trained the side for one and a half years in their country and was instrumental in helping Iran enter the record books.
“We conducted 18 camps before we selected the final team. I was given 45 girls to pick the final team. For the left corner position I had 10 players, but was not satisfied with them and was tense that it could be my weak point,” Shailaja said, adding that she spent a few sleepless nights thinking about means to find the correct players.
“I got an information from some residents that there are a few good players who are not in the current selected side. I searched on the Internet and found Ghazal Khalaz, an all-rounder, who had represented Iran in the 2014 Asian Games, but stopped playing after that,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}“I got an information from some residents that there are a few good players who are not in the current selected side. I searched on the Internet and found Ghazal Khalaz, an all-rounder, who had represented Iran in the 2014 Asian Games, but stopped playing after that,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}“I told my supporting staff that I want her in our team, but it did not go well as the officials said that they cannot allow Ghazal to play as she was not a part of the team. Also that if I select her than I might face inquiry from the government and it could even land me in trouble,” Shailaja said.
Though these words put the coach on the back foot, her inner instinct gave her the courage to take the risk and ask the authorities to allow Ghazal to play for the national team.
“I did not have to teach Ghazal much as she is a good player. I only needed to sharpen her skills. I was still questioned by the staff about whether she will play in the final seven and put the pressure on me, but I stuck to my instinct and got her into the final squad. Officials got the requisite permission from the top brass and she was in. Ghazal played an important role in the final match against India,” said Shailaja, who is presently a coach at her academy in Nashik.
Life changed after the gold medal
Shailaja Jain in now a celebrity. “My life has changed a lot. I get many calls and even now people call me to congratulate, besides inviting me as chief guest for various functions. I am so busy nowadays that I am unable to give full-time attention to my coaching academy in Nashik,” added Jain.