Nineteen spikers from across the country have been attending a camb in Hyderabad since June 16 for prepare for Under 19 Asian Championships to be heldat Isfahan in Iran from October 24 to November 10. They are on a mission and there is a sense of optimism that this time round the team can pull it off. Some of the players are getting fine-tuned for their biggest overseas assignment. They are perfecting the skills under chief coach, Abhimanyu Singh of Uttar Pradesh, who has also been associated with the senior team. The coach told UNI here today that the team was not concentrating on regular drills and physical conditioning, but were keen on getting the competitive edge. ‘One of the experiments that we have initiated, which the boys are enjoying, is playing matches with senior players, including institutional outfits periodically, he said. Hyderabad has proven talent in the senior category. It is good that many of them are coming over and passing on their experiences by way of pep talks,’ points out the NIS-qualified Abhimanyu, even as the boys are playing an exhibition match amongst themselves at the Hyderabad Public School.
‘You see we are gearing up for the Under-19 Asian Championship. The tournament is of immense importance because the top four will qualify for the Under-19 World Championship, which Mexico will be hosting next year,’ says the coach, who has seen it and done that on umpteen occasions earlier on.UNI