International

Naresh and Raju who will represent India in the senior Asian beach volleyball championship in China later this month.

Naresh and Raju are confident of coming up with a good show at the senior Asian beach volleyball championship in China later this month.

HYDERABAD

Defying age and re-setting their goals constantly, M. Krishnam Raju and T. Naresh, the only players to represent India in the senior Asian beach volleyball championships to be held at Pingtan (Fujian, China) from June 23, are chasing an elusive medal.

The reigning National champions, currently training in Visakhapatnam, feel they are in the best frame, both mentally and physically, as they get ready for their second appearance in the championship.

“By virtue of being in the top-32 in Asia which was possible because of our consistency, we qualified for the meet. We are optimistic and confident this time around,” the 39-year-old Raju told The Hindu’

Interestingly, Raju and Naresh (37 years), both Inspectors with Customs and Central Tax (GST, Hyderabad),  have been playing together for more than a decade and have been national champions five times and runners-up thrice, besides clinching the National Games gold and also Central Asia title.

“Age has never been a factor and fitness has been our strong point as we ensure there is the desired discipline – both on and off the court,” Raju said.

“Thanks to complete support from our department, we could train and compete in so many events over the years. We are also grateful to the national federation and the state associations of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for always ensuring we got the best training facilities, besides our families.

“It is strange that we both hail from Hyderabad because of our job (though representing Andhra Pradesh in the Nationals) and train in a City where there is no beach but master the nuances of the sport at the Mushirabad Playground,” said Naresh.

On their prospects in the Asian meet, both felt they would realise their goal of winning a medal given the long camp in Visakhapatnam where they are training with national players.. 

“The bigger dream is to represent India in the Olympics (the qualifiers are scheduled later this year) and the 2023 Asian Games. We are not short on confidence and hope to script a new chapter in the beach volleyball history of India,” they said.