Bandra has long been known to produce sportspersons at the highest level in varied disciplines. It’s not surprising then that a lot of school children are taking to sports and earning themselves laurels at the state, national and even international level. Be it football, hockey, gymnastics, cricket, athletics and what have you, these kids keep proving time and again that among the long list of traits Bandra is known for, sports is among the top, if not at the top. What’s even more heartening to know is that the average age of these achievers is trending lower, which gives us a vision of the bright future us Bandraites can expect to see in the coming years.
Just last week, the Sub-Junior Throwball U-18 team representing the country returned home triumphant after they bagged the winner’s trophy in the Indo-Sri-Lanka Sub-Junior International Throwball Tournament which was held in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo. What’s striking about the team is that four of its players are from Bandra itself! All of just fifteen, Dhruv Nahata, Sahil Hiranandani, Ronak Kamra and Hridhay Punjabi, have made us Bandraites all proud.
Playing in a three-match series against the Sri Lankans, the Indian team lost their first match one set to two. But the way they fought back from there in the next two matches is what is noteworthy. For the next three days after their first game, they went back to the drawing board with video calls with their coach – who couldn’t travel with the team, practised for three hours daily and mentally prepared themselves for the next two matches. Getting used to the food there was a task for many, most being vegetarians. Besides, one of the Indian team’s players had to travel back home after falling ill.
Fighting all this, the team came out all guns blazing in the second match to blank the Sri Lankans in two straight sets. What that meant was that the third game would be the title decider. Standing at one set apiece after two sets, the Indians didn’t let anything deter them as they battled nerves to hold on in the third set of the match and bring home the winner’s trophy amidst a whole lot of celebrations back home. What’s more, the team’s achievement was celebrated on their way home as well by ecstatic Indians who got news of the team’s victory.
As Ronak Kamra put it, “It was a whole lot of practice, perseverance and passion that got us the cup!” Well, we couldn’t agree more that those three Ps are the secret to success!
