The taping on Sumit Bhatia’s fingers is the talk of the town. What is adding to the mystery is how it is only wrapped around the Telugu Yoddha coach’s index finger and thumb.
“It is my style,” Bhatia would say. However, one of the Ultimate Kho Kho commentators cleared the air. Turns out Bhatia ji, as he is lovingly called by his colleagues, reserves the sanctum of his tapes for people he holds dear.
“Sometimes, it’s god’s name or even my wife’s. At times, I write ‘22 Yoddhas’. It is my lucky charm,” said the former Team India coach. “People have noticed this now but I have been doing this since the time I started as a coach with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) team,” he added.
Sumit Bhatia shows off his wife’s name on the taping on his fingers. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Bhatia’s lucky charm seems effective. His side sits third place on the points tally and looks set to qualify for the playoffs.
Irrespective of how Yoddhas fare in the remainder of the tournament, Bhatia beams with pride for having contributed to the larger cause at stake here in Pune – making the sport visible to the wider audience.
“We’ve wanted such a league format for long. The players and the coaches are delighted with this new format. The Kho Kho Federation has succeeded in taking our sport from mud to mat,” Bhatia said.
Despite a slew of changes, which include the reduction of the field length from 24 metres to 19 metres and the number of attacking players from nine to seven, Bhatia feels the sport has not lost its essence.
The changes have only added to the charm, according to him. “ Chaar chand laga diye hain humari game mein.”
Further, two new rules added to incentivise attacks are the introduction of skydives and pole dives. Ordinarily, a tag on a defender won two points for the attacking team. Now, by diving forward, or across with the help of poles, the attacker can claim an additional point.
Another aspect added to the sport is a player called Wazir. An attacker in kho kho can move in one direction. A wazir, however, as in chess, has the option of moving on either side.
“The changes have given speed to the game. Earlier, we saw the experienced players dominate, but the new rules demand agility and quick decision-making which brings the younger players into the fray,” said Bhatia.
Bhatia added that changes are the only way to keep a sport progressing, and cited how cricket has constantly evolved over the years.
But along with offering a chance to the younger players, Ultimate Kho Kho can have its challenges also, Bhatia admitted.
“There have been instances of younger players feeling overwhelmed by the grandeur of the tournament .In such cases, we remind them of their struggles that have led them to this stage. Most of the players in our league work as labourers or do odd jobs to support their families. We use that struggle as a weapon. We tell them to think of the faith their family has put in them. We tell them to show the same faith in themselves.”
Bhatia, however, is prepared. Having spent a good part of his career associated with kho kho, the former India coach takes the new format and the league as a welcome challenge
.He asserts that the new league will shatter the glass ceiling. “It is like a rocket. We see once it takes off but do not know how far up it has reached. I think UKK will emulate that. There’s no limit to how good it can get.”
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