Jet Jerome, or Janbaaz Jerome are among the nicknames given to veteran Indian international Jerome Vinith. These monikers aptly depict his style of play on court, and more so now as he managed to lead the Calicut Heroes to win the Prime Volleyball League season three title against the Delhi Toofans 3-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Thursday.
Vinith, 6 ft 4 inches tall, seemed his best as the team hinged on him for wins. The finals were a perfect example wherein he individually scored 16 points, one more than the combination of Manoj Kumar (8) and Santhosh S (7), the top two point takers for the Toofans.
The Heroes have been in two PVL semifinals to date and have lost both, so having never reached the finals since the league’s inception has always been a thorn in Vinith’s heart. “For us, reaching the finals was important. Winning the final was second priority,” said the 31-year-old opposite spiker.
This season saw Heroes clinch a direct spot in the finals after finishing first in the Super 5s points table.
While hard work and focus were a part of the Heroes’ training following the semifinal defeats in previous sessions, a rather jovial Kishor Kumar, the head coach of Heroes, quoted Rajnikanth’s dialogue from Baba, citing what the title meant for them, “Naan late-aah vanthalum, latest-aah varuven” (I will be the latest, even if I come late).”
Hailing Vinith for his motivation and unyielding determination in the face of setbacks, Kishor said, “Despite (Jerome) playing good volleyball for two years in PVL, he did not make it to the Asian Games 2023 and Club World Championship.”
Upset with this treatment, Kishor took it upon himself to ensure the 31-year-old proved a point to the audience and selectors. As expected, Vinith stood up to the challenge by winning seven Player of the Match awards this season, including the best spiker and Most Valuable Player of the season with 161 points, 150 of them coming from attacks.
Recalling his words to Jerome at the start of the session, Kishor said, “I told him winning eight ‘Player of the Match’ awards this season was our goal. However, he won only seven plus one MVP award.” However, Vinith was quick to retort and said, “I’ll win the eighth one next season.”
Fondly calling the head coach Kishor Chettan (Malayalam term for elder brother), the 31-year-old Heroes captain never felt the difference in coaching despite being the only team having two head coaches. “I don’t find any difference between two head coaches. Their words have never clashed. They always discuss with one another, reach a conclusion, and then give us the verdict.”
On the other hand, Kishor revealed that it wasn’t the team management that encouraged the formula of two head coaches. It was his idea to call Sailen Ramdoo as another head coach. “When I was studying coaching level 1 with FIVB in 2014, he (Ramdoo) was my teacher. You can see him standing on the court while I’m near the bench, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Jerome Vinith captain of Calicut Heroes with the Prime Volleyball League Trophy in Chennai on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Ragu R / The Hindu
While a clash of opinion or ego might be a worry that comes with having two coaches, Kishor doesn’t think so. “Having two head coaches gives us time to plan more precisely. There hasn’t been an ego clash to date (between us), and we are growing with each day,” said Kishor.
It was no surprise that the crowd came in huge numbers to support the Calicut-based outfit, given that they have four players from Tamil Nadu, namely Vinith, Mohan Ukkrapandian, M Ashwin Raj and Praveen Kumar G.
Among the vast majority of local fans were the “Chembada Army,” the Heroes’ fan club, chanting their slogan, “ Chembada ithu Chembada, Calicutin Chembada (This is Chembada (the fan club), this is Calicut’s Chembada)”.
With every spike Vinith hit, there was a burst of cheers, hoots, and whistles. However, the best was saved for last when the opposite spiker’s attack delivered a match-winning result and a maiden PVL title for the Heroes. Expecting the crowd to support him and his side, Vinith signed off with a smirk, “Ithu en ooru (This is my city).”
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