History
Pre-Independence
Though the game was played informally for a long time, the first interstate volleyball tournament was held in 1936 by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). [3]
Establishment
In 1951, the formation of Volleyball Federation of India gave the sport a better structure and the interstate tournament evolved into the senior national championship with the first edition being held in 1952. This platform gave birth to many talents who went on to represent India at the international level. [4]
Golden years (1952–1962)
India had immediate success after formation as they made their debut in FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship's 1952 edition. After losing to France and Czechoslovakia by comfortable 3–0 margins in the first round, they made a comeback in the 7th–8th placing round as they beat Finland, Lebanon and Israel to clinch the 8th spot. [3]
In 1955, India won the Asian Volleyball Tournament which was held in Tokyo. Three years later, the Gurudev Singh led team won the bronze medal at the 1958 Asian Games. They beat Hong Kong and the Philippines in three straight sets but could not get past volleyball powerhouses Iran and Japan, though they managed to win a set against each. [5]
In the 1962 Asian Games they managed to go one step ahead as they began their campaign with four consecutive wins against Burma(twice), Cambodia and Pakistan. Their old rivals Japan got the better of them in what was a five set thriller, with Japan winning the final set by 15–12 margin. This team was led by legendary players Nripjit Singh Bedi and A. Palaniswamy, both Arjuna Award winners, who had graduated to the senior team, which was then led by TP Padmanabhan Nair, who was also a part of the 1958 team. India has to settle for the Silver Medal which is currently their highest achievement ever at the Asian Games. [3]
The finest era (1960s–1980s)
After a memorable outing at the 1962 Asian Games, India finished fourth and fifth at the 1966 and 1974 Asian Games respectively, not making it to the 1970 edition in between. [3]
India did not enter into the inaugural Asian men's volleyball championship in 1975 but made their debut in the following tournament in 1979 where they finished fifth. In the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok and at the 1982 Asian Games at home in New Delhi, the Indian volleyball team saw another upswing after finishing seventh and fourth respectively, falling just short of a medal in 1982 edition after they finished at the bottom of the table among four teams in the final round, going down to the heavyweights South Korea and China in straight sets.
In the following year at the Asian Volleyball Championship in Tokyo, India finished fifth yet again without any medal. However, the wait for a medal would not last too long. [3]
In the 1986 Asian Games India sent arguably its best team ever. Led by Cyril Valloor, the team boasted the presence of former national coach GE Sridharan, K Udayakumar, who later went on to captain the Indian volleyball team, Abdul Basith, Dalel Singh and PV Ramana, father of Indian badminton star PV Sindhu. [3]
All of them were Arjuna awardees but the most special of them all and the team's lynchpin was the talented Jimmy George, an Arjuna winner himself and a legend of Indian volleyball. He had been tearing up the national circuit for a decade and also had stints at clubs in Italy, one of the best leagues in that era, along with GE Sridharan. [6]
Jimmy George towered at a height of 6'2" and had the advantage of graceful jumps. His ability in the air for a fraction of a second longer helped him in his smashes, all of which were very powerful thanks to his larger frame. [6]
All of these factors combined well together and the Indian volleyball team started the Asian Games with four victories – against Hong Kong, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. [5]
Later in the games, they went down to the home team South Korea, who went on to register another victory later, but in between the Indian volleyball team finally managed to beat powerhouses Japan, more impressively in straight sets, facilitated by Jimmy George's tremendous drive. However, they could not sustain the momentum, as they fell to eventual champions China, to end up with bronze medal. [5]
Decline (1990s–2000s)
The general popularity of the sport in the country declined in the years to follow as in-fighting within federations coincided with the death of Jimmy George in an accident in 1987 and adding to it was the rise of the Indian national cricket team as a powerhouse. [7]
The Indian volleyball men and women's teams dominated the South Asian Federation Games in the nineties, winning three medals each, but it did not spark a revival, with subpar performances to follow at the 2006 and 2010 by the men after they came at ninth and sixth respectively. [3]
However, they finished fourth in the 2005 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship which is currently their highest ever finish at this tournament. They went all the way to semi-finals where they lost in straight sets against Japan and then went down to South Korea in third place match losing with a margin of three sets to one.
Yes there was some a decline, but Sube Singh, former captain standing at a staggering 6 feet 9 .inches, with his energetic teammates like Rampal Singh, Dinesh Singh, and Sanjay Kumar, helped them win many titles from 2002-2014 and increased the ranking to the highest ever 34. Sube Singh's unparalleled blocking skills made him a formidable force on the court. At his peak, he was not only the best blocker in India but also recognized globally as one of the finest blockers in the world. His defensive prowess and strategic acumen were pivotal in leading the team to numerous victories, setting a benchmark in Indian volleyball history. The period from 2002 to 2014 was marked by relentless effort and a series of accolades, reflecting the hard work and dedication of him and his teammates. Their collective achievement in reaching the highest ranking ever stands as a testament to their skill, determination, and synergy on the court. Sube Singh's legacy remains an enduring symbol of the heights that can be achieved through teamwork, perseverance, and exemplary leadership. His contribution to the sport continues to inspire and motivate upcoming players to strive for excellence.
2010–present
The 2010 and 2014 editions of the Asian Games provided some respite as the Indian volleyball men's team finished a respectable fifth with modern-day stars and inspirational captains Sinnadu Prabhagaran, Sube singh and Mohan Ukkrapandian leading the way. [8] The team also played at the Asian Cup, where they achieved some fine results, capturing bronze medal at the 2010 Asian Cup and reached all the way to the final of the 2014 Asian Cup by defeating Japan in the group stage, the top Asian team Iran in the semi-final before succumbing to South Korea with a margin of three sets to one. Besides couple of good performances at the Asian level, the team also managed to claim a gold medal at the 2010 South Asian Games.
The Indian volleyball men's team was ranked 34th in 2014, their best in the world, they also managed to win a gold medal eighth gold medal at 2016 South Asian Games, but just as it seemed that the sport was picking up again, an internal dispute in the VFI meant that it was banned from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) for two years till 2018. [9]
It meant that Indian volleyball players could not travel to other leagues to play, which affected the exposure to different styles, a factor which coach GE Sridharan felt led to a 12th-place finish at the 2018 Asian Games. [9]
The Pro Volleyball League, a franchise-based tournament was started in 2019 and it featured stars like American David Lee, an Olympic gold medallist in 2008. India also gained their ninth and seventh successive gold medal at the South Asian Games in 2019. [3] [10]
The men's Indian volleyball team did not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics following their loss in the Olympic qualification tournament. The team finished sixth in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. [11] They topped their group, scoring an upset 3-2 victory over favourites South Korea. [12]
Notable players and past squads
1958 Asian Games squad
T. R. Arunchalam, S. L. Gupta, Bharatan Nair, T. P. Padmanabhan Nair, Abdur Rahman, Raman Raman, S. K. Sheikuchan, Gurdev Singh. Coach: H P Kohli, Kuldip Chand Chopra (Delhi, UT), Narayan Singh Thakur
1986 Asian Games squad
Jimmy George, K. Udayakumar, Kirtesh Kumar, Sukhpal Singh, Mehar Singh, GE Sridharan, Sandeep Sharma, P. V. Ramana, Dalel Singh, Abdul Basith, Cyril Valloor
2010 Asian Games squad
Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Dinesh Coimbatore, Venugopal Jayram , Sanjay Kumar,Balwinder Singh , Sube Singh, Naveen Raja Jacob, Navjit Singh, Mohan Ukkrapandian, Gurinder Singh, P.S.Srikanth, Adam Septiohadi
2014 Asian Games squad
G. R. Vaishnav, Kamlesh Khatale, Karthik Ashok, Prabagaran, Hardeep Singh, Naveen Raja Jacob, Gurinder Singh, reyant, Jerome Vinit Charles, Mohan Ukkrapandian, Ranjit Singh, Pattani Prabakaran
2022 Asian Games squad
Amit Gulia, Vinit Kumar, Shameemudheen Ammarambath, Muthusamy Appavu, Hari Prasad Bevinakuppe Suresha, Rohit Kumar, Manoj Lakshmipuram Manjunatha, Mohan Ukkrapandian, Ashwal Rai, Santhosh Sahaya Anthoni Raj, Guru Prasanth Subramanian Venkatasubbu, Erin Varghese
Competitive record
Summer Olympics
India has never qualified for the summer Olympics. [21] [22] [23]
FIVB World Championship
India has appeared in the FIVB World Championship only twice. [24] They came really close to qualifying in the 2002 qualifiers, missing a place in the World Championship by one spot as they finished third among three best second-placed finishers.
Asian Challenge Cup
The Indian Ad-Hoc Committee did not allow the Indian team to participate in the 2023 tournament. As a result, India still played their matches, but the results of the matches was forfeited as requested by the Indian Ad-Hoc Committee. [31]
South Asian Games
India is the most successful team at the South Asian Games having won an overall number of nine gold medals and two silver medals. [33] [34]
