Volleyball: Kerala end drought
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Kerala demolished Uttarakhand 25-22, 25-22, 25-13 in the final of the 60th senior national volleyball championship at Raipur on Wednesday.
After losing to Tamil Nadu in a nerve-shredding five setter in the previous edition in Chennai, Kerala have proved that they have the resilience to bounce back in style.
Incidentally, Kerala had won their previous title also at the Chhattisgarh capital in 2001. Their latest conquest must be special because they have done it without losing a match in the league-come-knockout tournament. Earlier, Railways whipped Kerala 25-12, 25-14, 25-16 to retain the women’s crown.
The Kerala men were awesome against Uttarakhand, who had knocked out defending champions Tamil Nadu in five sets in the semifinals.
Veteran universal Tom Joseph rolled back the years for a stellar exhibition of attacking volleyball. He also placed point-winning drops at crucial moments. Kerala setter
V. Manu, too, outstanding with his razor-sharp passes. Blocker T. Azeez was excellent in his primary duty as well short-ball attacking. Libero Kiran Philip shone in reception and digging.
Young Kerala attacker Manu Joseph was the find of the tournament. The 20-year-old smashed with such confidence that it was hard to believe that he was playing his maiden nationals. Kerala have found a worthy heir to Tom, the state’s spearhead for more than a decade.
It was Manu who made decisive interventions when the first set entered the home straight. He more than compensated for the lack of firepower from his team’s other attacker, Vibin George. Setter Manu also fed the youngster judiciously, ensuring that Uttarakhand blockers never had a measure of him.
It was a dream day for Kerala as their domination was complete in every department. Uttarakhand’s performance was a pale shadow of their fine show against Tamil Nadu.
They simply didn’t have a clue to stop the Kerala juggernaut. The final was an anticlimax because it lacked the drama of a big match. Few would have expected such a dramatic collapse from the talented, experienced Uttarakhand team.
The failure of attacker Lalit Kumar bled Uttarakhand, who might have hoped to carry on from where they left off against Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Setter Ranjit Singh was well below his best.
Universal Mandeep Singh, the team’s lynchpin, was erratic throughout. Kerala coach M.T. Samuel was delighted that a veteran (Tom) and a debutant (Manu) combined to plot his team’s stunning win.
“The duo hardly put a foot wrong in the final. If we don’t lose players to Railway, Kerala will continue to be a major force at the national level,” he said.
Results: Men: Final: Kerala bt Uttarakhand 25-22, 25-22, 25-13. 3rd place: Services bt Tamil Nadu 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 28-26.
Women: Railways bt Kerala 25-12, 25-14, 25-16. 3rd place: West Bengal bt Andhra Pradesh 25-23, 25-13, 25-18.
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