India’s underdogs now really on a roll
FOUR years ago, India went within a whisker of pinching a Commonwealth Games medal off bowls giants Australia.
India had taken an unlikely lead in the men’s fours bronze medal playoff in Glasgow until Australia snatched victory on the last bowl of the contest.
Spurred not deterred, India have arrived on the Gold Coast early to drive the next chapter of their fairytale.
Bowls is a relatively new sport in India and one that is dwarfed in profile by cricket.
For a nation boasting a population exceeding one billion people, they have just four bowls rinks across the country – two in Ranchi, one in Assam and one in Delhi.
All four are synthetic, with their first grass rink set to be established in Goa. But the need to get up to speed with the Australian grass greens has seen them take their entire squad of seven men, six women and coach Madhukant Pathak to the Gold Coast.
They will stay right through to the Games in early April, training at the Broadbeach Bowls Club where fixtures will be held.
“It’s very nice for us because we don’t have any grass greens in India so it is a unique experience,” Pathak said of the preparation.
“Synthetic versus grass, it is quite different because on synthetic greens you put a lot of effort whereas on grass it is quite fast.”
In their couple of weeks already here, it has been full steam ahead with no time afforded to soak up the Gold Coast beaches.
“We came here not to take rest because if you perform better you have many hours to take rest,” Pathak said.
He is hoping to take advantage of their extended preparation to deliver a much-needed boost to the sport’s popularity in India.
“Right now we are struggling to get players. We have less players than this Broadbeach Bowls Club,” he said.
“If we perform good – one podium will encourage the youth and kids to come and play.”
India’s own team largely hails from athletes who have transitioned from other sports.
Men’s players Dinesh Kumar and Krishna Xalxo have come from football while women’s players Lovely Choubey, Nayan Moni Saikia and Pinki have backgrounds in long jump, powerlifting and cricket, respectively.
Even Pathak is a former international cricket third umpire.
Bowls Games tickets are still available for purchase.