Prime Volleyball League: Bengaluru Torpedoes' Vinayak Rokhade looking forward to make a mark
Bengaluru Torpedoes, one of the teams in the Prime Volleyball League, are in a training camp in Mysore ahead of the league which is scheduled to commence on February 5.
The inaugural edition of the league will be held in Kochi, inside a bio-secure environment. One of the Torpedoes' mainstays, Vinayak Rokhade, reflected on the mood in the camp and said there was palpable excitement within the squad.
"We are all really excited to perform in the tournament and give it our best for the Bengaluru Torpedoes team," he said.
"Of course, there will be a bio-bubble situation, so we will have to adjust to that, but I am also really looking forward to that as it will be a new challenge."
Vinayak Rokhade has been drafted into the Bengaluru Torpedoes side for ₹5.75 lakh.
Prime Volleyball League is a good opportunity for local players
Rokhade, who plays as a setter in the team, emphasized that this is a great opportunity for players from Karnataka and other parts of India. He believes the league will help them gain the exposure of playing with some of the most elite volleyball players from abroad.
"It will also be a great opportunity to learn from the foreign players in the tournament because they will have different styles of playing. I am hoping to pick up a few things and become a better player," he said.
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Rokhade ventured into volleyball in 2007 when his school teachers in the Belgaum district of Karnataka approached him for his well-built physique. He explained that the support he received in his budding days allowed him to hone his skills as an international player, saying:
"My parents always told me to take a chance and assess whether it can be done or not. They said there was no point in repenting later in life that maybe there was a chance in sports that you missed out on."
Wearing Indian colors a matter of pride for Vinayak Rokhade
The versatile volleyball player made his international debut in 2013 when he was selected for the Indian junior team. The following year, he played for the Indian U-21 team.
In 2015, Rokhade received his first call-up to the senior Indian team and he represented the nation at the Asian Championship in Iran.
"It was a great feeling representing the country and wearing the Indian jersey. Representing India in volleyball was one of the most memorable highlights of my career," he said.
Another special moment of his career came in 2018 when he was part of the Karnataka squad that lifted the senior nationals title for the first time.
"Winning the senior nationals in 2018 was definitely a highlight of my career. We were the first Karnataka team to do so I can never forget that moment, I could not believe it at the time that we did that," recalled Rokhade.
Now his focus is on doing well for the Bengaluru Torpedoes team and using his experience to fuel the squad's campaign in the Prime Volleyball League this season.
"We have been preparing well and the team management has provided us with the best facilities to prepare ahead of the season, which begins in Kochi. Apart from working on our game, and building on the strategies, we are also bonding well as a team. These are surely exciting times and we look forward to new challenges," he concluded.
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