Indian Overseas Bank’s crushing defeat — 16-25, 24-26, 14-25 — at the hands of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) in the final of the Chennai District Volleyball Association ‘A’ division league on February 5 this year was instructive.

The result, which breached the bank team’s armour of invincibility in Tamil Nadu, was a landmark for SDAT as they had never claimed Chennai’s premier division title before.

In November last year, IOB lost their supremacy in Indian volleyball after they went down to ONGC in the final of the national club championship tamely.

Tongues started to wag about the decline of a team that had been a class apart a couple of years ago. And the subsequent setback in Chennai turned up the heat on IOB.

Stung by the reverses, IOB acted swiftly: they issued appointment orders to the SDAT trio of Karthi (22 years old), Rajkumar (21) and Anand Raj (19).

Initially, Karthi and Rajkumar alone were on IOB’s radar, but Anand also joined the fray with his superlative performance in the ‘A’ division final.

The decision of IOB to rope in the SDAT players is a prudent move.

Not only are the three the best in the state in terms of talent, they are also known for their discipline and commitment.

Besides, playing for a Chennai-based team is critical for their careers as the Tamil Nadu capital also happens to be the nerve centre of volleyball in India.

IOB coach P. Sundaram is delighted at the capture of the SDAT trio. “I’m sure that they will serve our team with distinction.

They have the talent and age on their side. More importantly, the three players are a byword for discipline,” he said.

Sundaram added that the new recruits would need time to settle down. “The three players have to conquer the fear of playing with senior stars. And they have to adapt to our style of play. I think they will require a couple of years to reach their peak,” he said.

The IOB coach has great hopes on Anand, the youngest of the three. “He has everything that defines a top attacker: jump, technique, anticipation, defence and first pass. He will become a complete player if he acquires muscle mass,” he said.

Sundaram also believes that Karthi (attacker) and Rajkumar (all-rounder) have the potential to take IOB to the top again.

“Karthi has the experience of playing in the national championship and the IVL. The left-handed smashes of Rajkumar add variety to our attack,” he added.

SDAT coach S. Dakshina-moorthy has sent the trio to IOB with his best wishes. At the same time, he is worried about how he is going to replace three of his best players. “It is difficult to find players of their calibre these days. I have hard work ahead to mould my current batch into a top side,” he said.

Dakshinamoorthy said Anand is the pick of the lot. “He is an excellent attacker from both front and back courts. There is no doubt that he is a senior Indian team material,” he added.

The SDAT coach said Rajkumar would be an asset to IOB. “Blockers would find it difficult to stop the universal’s left-handed smashes from zone two.

Rajkumar has a natural jump and is a competent server. Karthi is an experienced campaigner. He has the leap and explosive power to spearhead IOB’s attack,” he added.

Rural Tamil Nadu’s hold on volleyball has once again come to the fore as the SDAT young guns have emerged from districts. Karthi belongs to Vaniyampadi (Vellore). Rajkumar and Anand are from Kumarapalayam (Erode) and Vaduvur (Thanjavur) respectively.