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Who will fill the void?
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What are the reasons for Tamil Nadu not sustaining its performance at the national level?
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PHOTO: M. KARUNAKARAN
CONSISTENT GAME Moses Jeevananth and Hariharasudan
In six months, Tamil Nadu is going to face another acid test in the National senior basketball championship. After winning the Todd Trophy for five years in succession, it stumbled last year in the cold and unkind weather in Punjab. Considering its talent base, this should not have happened.
Two main players — Shabeer Ahmed, a towering defender, and Sridhar, a prolific scorer and rebounder — switched their loyalty from Indian Overseas Bank to Oil and National Gas Corporation, Dehra Dun. That definitely created a void in the team. Though there was enough talent to fill the void, it did not happen and the State men's team suffered a big blow.
It is time for introspection. During a State-level tournament final recently, Tamil Nadu coach A. D. Senthureswaran lamented that there was no flow of players the way he wanted. What Tamil Nadu needs are more players like J. Moses Jeevananth of Indian Bank and T. S. Hariharasudan of IOB.
It is a known fact that the banks are the main feeders of good players to State teams in both basketball and volleyball, followed by Customs, Southern Railway, ICF and TNEB. The intense rivalry among them has improved the standard of the game in the State. Still, if the Tamil Nadu team cannot sustain its show at the national-level, it is a tragedy. What is to be done is to prepare two good teams of equal strength. This is possible because the bench strength of IOB itself is amazing. It has so many good players. All that the State coach has to do is to shape them to face the challenge from Punjab, ONGC and the Services at the National championship.
It is true that players such as Moses and Hari are hard to come by. They have been maintaining the standard of their game for too long and with systematic training. It is the remarkable consistency of their shooting that made them so valuable for Tamil Nadu for over a decade. Players like Moses and Hari can swing the matches with their sustained attack even against the toughest of squads.
Impressive record
Said D. V. Sundar, Sports officer, Indian Bank, about Moses: "He is a tenacious player. Whether the challenge is from a Punjab player or an Army man, he never bothers and plays his best. He is disciplined and regular for practice sessions. If the ball is passed to him he can shoot well from even zero angle. That is the secret of his success." Moses, hailing from Thoothukudi, started as a State mini (under 13) player and then as under 16 and 18 (junior). And he was the senior State star from 1995 to 2004, winning the title six times. As an under 18, he played for India in the ABC Championship at Manila and the ABC under 22 Championship at Shanghai. It is quite an impressive record and he also won the Federation Cup for Indian Bank. He was with the State team in four National Games. Even today Indian Bank depends on him. However, Hari is a different player in the sense that he is remarkable for his three-point shots. He is a showman and the crowd love him for his incredible shots almost from the half line. Not many can do that. From 1989 to 1998 he tilted the game in Tamil Nadu's favour on many occasions. The man from Madurai is a product of Sports Hostel and he has brought a different approach to the game. Though he could be provoked easily, his game has always been loved by the crowd.
Both these players have provided a new dimension to Tamil Nadu's play in the 1990s.What the State needs now are such players who can be trusted for their steady game even under pressure.
M.C. RAMAN
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