40-year-old L. Srinivas Reddy has been appointed as the coach of the Indian national Kabaddi team. A native of Sangareddy district, the former international player and noted coach has become the first man from Telangana to coach the Indian Kabaddi team.
“It’s a dream come true! I hail from a small town and later played for the Indian Kabaddi team. I started mentoring and coaching players in 2013. It’s been a fantastic journey so far and I am excited with my new assignment as coach of the Indian national Kabaddi team as it’s a great opportunity for me to work with youngsters and learn new things,” exults Srinivas, who is currently employed with Andhra Bank in Hyderabad.
Adding that Kabaddi has transformed completely since he first took up the sport, Srinivas says that with matches now being telecast live, the stakes have gone up considerably.
For someone who was in the Indian team as a player first, Srinivas also shares that coaching is a totally different job.
“As a coach, I tell the players to just enjoy the game because that’s what I used to do in my playing days. As a player, you are only accountable to yourself, but as a coach, you need to be responsible for the entire team. So coaching is a thankless job and stressful,” says Srinivas, who had earlier coached the Australian and Korean teams too.
“Coaching the Korean team was my first international assignment and it was a huge challenge because I didn’t know the language. But we eventually won the bronze medal in the 2014 Asian Games. It was a moment of pride and satisfaction,” he shares, adding, “Later, I was also with Australia for a brief period. Since it is a sporting nation, they were able to quickly learn from my demonstration. But coaching both the teams was a great learning experience.” Interestingly, his wife Radhika is also a Kabaddi player and a commentator. “Ours is a love-cum-arranged marriage,” he reveals, adding, “We bond a lot over Kabaddi; we discuss the game at home and she is my best critic. She supports me and even gives me tips on how to coach the players,” shares Srinivas.
After having successful tenures as an assistant coach of the Telugu Titans and Haryana Steelers in the Pro-Kabaddi League, Srinivas is now mentoring the Jaipur Pink Panthers, owned by Abhishek Bachchan.
Describing Jr Bachchan as a humble person, Srinivas says, “I had a great time interacting with him. He’s really down-to-earth and invited me for dinner recently to celebrate my marriage anniversary.”
