Chennai: P. Sundaram has done it in his maiden assignment. After serving as an assistant to G.E. Sridharan and A. Venkatesan at nationals, the National Game and the Indian Volley League, the IOB coach got a chance to be at the helm of the Tamil Nadu volleyball team for the first time this year. Under the able guidance of Sundaram, Tamil Nadu have won the national championship at Moradabad, UP, with a splendid show.
Sundaram’s reputation as a technically proficient coach needs no reiteration because everyone in the Tamil Nadu volleyball community knows his worth. What separates him from the rest is his attention to detail. Sundaram is also an instinctive coach who isn’t averse to taking risks. If the need arises, he doesn’t hesitate to replace players without worrying about their reputation. The IOB man also loves to use technology to improve his teams.
The toughest test to Sundaram in TN’s glorious campaign in Uttar Pradesh was the semi-final against Services. Even though Tamil Nadu were on the verge of losing the plot on a few occasions, the coach didn’t panic. Sundaram embodied composure on the sidelines as he made crucial substitutions. He kept telling the players to play their natural game. As a result, Tamil Nadu not only edged out Services, they also gained a crucial psychological advantage against Uttarakhand, their opponents in the final.
The title match became a breeze for Tamil Nadu. After accomplishing the mission, Sundaram was content to leave centre stage to his players. He sent a player from the bench for a post-match interaction with DD Sports. And he came to the stage for trophy presentation only after being called by his players. Top coaches don’t seek the limelight. They know where their job is.
Sundaram was thrilled by the performance of his players. “Every member of the team was outstanding today. I never expected that we would be so good. The credit must go to the players for rising to the occasion. Even though the whole stadium was behind Uttarakhand today, we let our performance talk for us,” he said.
The astute coach knew that his squad was good enough to win the title. But he kept his optimism to himself. “I was aware of my squad’s strength, but I didn’t want to talk about our chances before the tournament. Everything fell in place against Uttarakhand,” he added.
According to Sundaram, Tamil Nadu’s purposeful serves were the decisive factor in the final.
“I had asked my players to go all out in service. It was essential to be aggressive in serving against a strong side like Uttarakhand. We didn’t want to give the likes of Subba Rao and Navjit Singh any room for short-ball attack. Our plan worked well throughout,” he said.
It wasn’t easy for Sundaram to pick out the best performers of the day as every member of Tamil Nadu gave his best on Sunday.
“We owe our triumph to team work. I was particularly delighted with the way universal Jerome Vinith performed in the final. He tore Uttarakhand into shreds with his confident kills. After being tentative in the earlier rounds, Jerome came alive in the most important match. Vaishnav was also incredible. His smashes were full of conviction,” the coach said.
National coach Sridharan doffed his hat to the work of Sundaram. “He has proved himself. Sundaram was superb throughout the championship and his hard work has paid off,” the Dronacharya awardee said.
