[1]After playing top-level volleyball for about 15 years, 39-year-old B. Anil will be retiring this year from the game. One of the most experienced players in the State, he proved his ability as a long-standing setter of Kerala Volleyball team and even the national team.
It was his brilliant placements that paved way for the quintal-sized smashes of Tom Joseph and other famed Kerala players, which in turn pierced the opposition team defence. Starting his career in 1992, playing for Cochin Port Trust, he was always been reliable.
“We used to have a good rapport between us and it was fun playing with him. He still is one of the best players Kerala has. He is a real asset to the team,” says Tom Joseph, the volleyball maestro.
Anil was also a State player and performed a crucial role in the winning of the national title in the recently-held National Championship. He was the captain of the State team that won national seniors championship for the first time in 1997. However, his age has only added more experience and sharpness to his game.
One of the most important questions that a sportsperson faces — when to retire — had been tormenting him. “It was a tough decision but still I love the game more than anything else. It is better to step down when one is at one’s best,” he says. He is currently playing for the BPCL team in the mini-Muthoot All India tournament held in Pathanamthitta. “I have decided to retire on April 2 and commit myself to my job in BPCL. I know it is a tough decision but it is my own wish only,” Anil says.
Though there were reports that BPCL had asked to step down, he denies it. “It is not the policy of BPCL to tell someone to step down from volleyball. We have our policy and we are just following it. However, the reports that we asked Anil to step down is wrong,” says Suresh Kumar, BPCL sports officer.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/lead-new1jpgcropdisplayjpg-999