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14-year-old Pune libero is spiking Maha’s medal hopes
Rujul More, a 14-year-old studying at Symbiosis School is making her national debut and due to her impressive performances in training and junior tournaments in the past few years, she has walked into the starting six of her state team and has emerged as one of the most pivotal players for the Maharashtra outfit
After kick-starting their campaign by an impressive three sets to one victory over Gujarat on Tuesday evening, the under-17 Maharashtra girls volleyball team have put themselves in prime position to qualify to the next round of the Khelo India Youth Games 2019 held at the Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex, Balewadi.
Rujul More, a 14-year-old studying at Symbiosis School is making her national debut and due to her impressive performances in training and junior tournaments in the past few years, she has walked into the starting six of her state team and has emerged as one of the most pivotal players for the Maharashtra outfit.
The dynamic setter who plays a universal role in the team shared how thrilled she was to be a part of her state team and to play on such a grand stage with the entire nation is watching her every move.
“I’m pleased to be here and representing my state team. It’s my debut, so yes, there’s a bit of rustiness and cold feet, but apart from that, I’m optimistic going into it. We are trained really well and I’m hoping we can replicate the performance of last year or maybe even better it and win the gold.”
Started playing volleyball at the tender age of 10, she has already been involved with the sport for the last four years and has been constantly working on her game to make it to the nationals and now with her dream come true, she has attributed all her success to her coach Ajit Patil.
Talking in glowing terms about the positive impact Patil has had on her game, she said, “The thing I like about him is that talks straight to the point with us and explains things to us in a very nice manner. He has really helped me improve my game since I started training under him and he’s made me a very good server as well.”
Injuries are the part and parcel of every sport, but for a game like a volleyball where players have less than a second to react, it becomes imperative to balance the risk and reward. However, once players step onto the court, they tend to forget their limitations and go all out to fight for a point like their lives depend on it.
Such is the case with the Maharashtra under-17 boys captain Keshav Gaikwad. The energetic teen, from Sarhad junior college in Katraj, is one of the entire contingent’s ray of hope as he is expected to guide the team to greater heights.
Playing with an injury, Gaikwad is the first one to admit that he is not at his hundred per cent and that it makes it much harder for him to lead by example.
However, not someone who bows in the face of adversity, the 16-year-old is fully confident in his attitude and play without thinking about it.
“I had a massive wrist injury a while ago and I am still reeling from it. I have not yet completely recovered from it but I am still continuing to play at Khelo India.
“The only way to deal with it is to apply ice at regular intervals and tie it up before stepping onto the court. I am the captain and i have set certain standards of professionalism for myself,” said Gaikwad
His teammate and another local lad Aditya Bhilare who has also admitted that he wasn’t fully fit going into the event, but a tournament like this is hard to not play in and he would’ve regretted passing up the opportunity to compete at the highest stage at the under-17 category.
“To be completely honest even I am not at my hundred per cent. I have a muscle tear and there is a bit of pain while playing. After Khelo India, I need to give it a couple of months of rest in order to recover in time for the bigger tournaments (national and international). Once my recovery is done I will also have to increase my workouts to be back to normal,”said Bhilare
Khelo India often draws comparisons to the nationals that many of the participants compete in. However, according to Gaikwad, it’s an even bigger event than the nationals and which he believes isn’t getting as much coverage as he would like it to and believes it deserves.
“It’s a bigger stage than the nationals so everyone here is extremely delighted. I know it’s a nation-wide coverage that the tournament will be getting, but only the semis and finals will be telecasted. I feel that they should show more matches as it is an exciting sport with really competitive games and top-class volleyball,” said the under-17 captain.
In order to acclimatise the layman with the sport, Bhilare believes that the facilities and infrastructure should be in the right place and that the academic institutions must give all the permissions needed for the students to focus on improving themselves.
Giving an example of the backing he’s received by Symbiosis school, he said, “We have the best volleyball team among all schools in the city and that’s down to the support we receive from the school. The coaching we receive here is second to none and we are provided with everyone we need. This not only helps us get better but spreads the message among all the students in our school, their parents and people they’re in touch with,” added Bhilare
