Playing Nepal, Bhutan won’t help: Sridharan urges India to face Asia’s best in volleyball

India are failing to win medals at continental tournaments or qualify for the World Championships and Olympics despite having immense potential because of poor planning and a lack of opportunities to compete against Asia’s top volleyball nations, according to Dronacharya Award-winning coach G E Sridharan.

The 72-year-old argued that India continue to play mostly lower-ranked teams, limiting the players’ growth and international competitiveness.

“If you play against the likes of Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka all the time, what do you expect?” Sridharan told PTI on the sidelines of the launch of the Volleyball Champions League.

“Why don’t we try to play friendlies and matches against the top volleyball-playing nations in Asia? China, Korea, Iran, Japan and Qatar are not only the best in Asia but also among the top 20 teams in the world.”

The Arjuna Awardee, who was a member of India’s bronze medal-winning team at the 1986 Asian Games, said that success at the continental level was built on consistently competing against elite opponents.

“Why did we win the bronze medal at those Asian Games and never again? Because before that, we played around 20 matches against China, Japan and Iran. We lost many times to China, and then one day we beat them. That was the gain. But we failed to build on those gains,” he recalled.

Sridharan believes India possess all the attributes needed to succeed but have struggled to maximise their potential.

“We have very good knowledge. We have very good height. We have very good potential. We have very good agility and speed. We have everything. What we need is to know how to sell our product. I have seen the best performance of my team. As a coach and as a player, I have seen it.”

He stressed that the biggest drawback for Indian volleyball is the lack of international exposure.

“Indian volleyball players are suffering because they haven’t participated in enough tournaments. Before the Asian Games, you need to play at least 30 to 40 international matches. We lack exposure, and the boys simply aren’t getting enough international games.” Sridharan added that sustained success requires long-term planning backed by all stakeholders.