Poonam Chand, who was included in the preliminary squad announced by the Nepal Volleyball Association for the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship, is currently in Australia.
After attending training for a few days, she left midway and chose to move abroad. Former national women’s team captain Aruna Shahi also moved to Australia a few months ago. Aruna, who represented the national team for more than a decade, left the country without informing the association. Not only Aruna and Poonam, but many Nepali volleyball players are now choosing Australia as their destination.
With several players, including Aruna and Poonam, leaving the country, the volleyball association has restructured the team and announced the Nepali squad for the CAVA Championship. Six new players have been included in the team.
Players such as Aruna, Poonam, Saraswati Chaudhary, Safiya Pun, and Kavita Bhatt, who were part of the historic Nepali side that defeated India for the first time two years ago, have all gone abroad. Spiker Pratibha Mali is also in Australia.
As a result, the volleyball association has been compelled to field new players without international exposure. Many fear the team may lack experience as it takes the court without several senior players. However, some believe that women’s volleyball in Nepal is now undergoing a generational transition.
With senior players leaving abroad, the responsibility of women’s volleyball has shifted onto younger players. Team captain Niruta Thagunna is now 28 years old. Salina Shrestha, one of the senior-most players in the squad, is of the same age, while the rest are younger.
Former national women’s team captain Binita Budhathoki considers this a continuous process. “This process always continues. Older players leave, and new ones come in. The team will still be good. They are not entirely new; they are just one or two batches junior,” she says. “If they play with confidence, the team can perform well because most of them are new. Only a few players from the old setup remain.”
Binita believes strong self-confidence can bring good results. “As new players, they may feel nervous or affected by the crowd’s reactions. But if they play with confidence despite the pressure, they can perform very well,” she says.
Bhatt gets another opportunity after seven years
Back in 2019, coach Jagdish Bhatt had also fielded six new players, much like this time. He dropped six experienced players, including then-captain Binita Budhathoki and vice-captain Manju Gurung, and gave opportunities to newcomers.
Bhatt faced criticism at the time, but the team delivered results. That same year, Nepal’s women’s volleyball team won a historic silver medal at the 13th South Asian Games held on home soil.
Aruna, who captained the side then, has now moved abroad. Niruta Thagunna, Usha Bhandari, and Salina Shrestha had made their debuts during that period. Those once considered newcomers are now entering the court as experienced players, with Niruta leading the side.
Responding to concerns that the departure of senior players could affect the team’s performance, experienced player Salina Shrestha said, “The younger sisters are continuing to play so that their absence is not felt.”
Young talents Salina Budha Magar and Mina Sunar, who have been performing impressively in age-group and domestic volleyball, along with setter Jasna Mahato and middle blockers Basanti Saud, Elisha Manandhar, and Sunita Khatri, have earned the opportunity to represent Nepal. Although Pragati Nath, Shantikala Tamang, Sumitra Regmi, and Rima Kunwar have already represented Nepal, they still lack sufficient international experience.
Head coach Jagdish Bhatt says player changes are necessary to raise the standard of volleyball. He believes the new generation of players will ensure the absence of senior players is not felt.
“If we talk about 2018, we had reformed many players. Since then, we have won around eight to ten medals. To move forward, old players eventually have to be replaced,” he says. “You have to believe that we have the talent capable of replacing senior players without making their absence noticeable.”
Bhatt believes a combination of experienced and young players will produce positive results. “We want to display the experience of senior players and the energy of the younger players on the court,” he says. “The enthusiasm and passion of the young players combined with the experience of the senior players define the team’s performance.”
A mix of old and new
Captain Niruta Thagunna says the team is a blend of old and new players. “The team is very good. It’s a mix of experienced and young players. Talented younger sisters are coming through, and combining the old and new players makes the team even stronger,” she says.
Spiker Usha Bhandari believes the team is better than before. “We are taking pressure positively in our performance. The new players are not simply relying on the senior sisters. They also feel responsible and believe they must contribute. That’s why the team is better than before,” she says. “There may be a slight lack of experience, but a team cannot always depend only on experienced players. New players also need opportunities.”
New players, no exposure
Nepal has announced a squad featuring six new players for the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship, which begins on May 22 on home soil.
Despite bringing in new players after senior athletes moved abroad, the volleyball association could not provide the team with any international exposure before the tournament. The Nepali team has been training since March 18 for the championship.
During the two-month training camp, players also participated in the 10th PM Cup NVA Volleyball League while representing different teams. However, they did not get the opportunity to play practice matches together as a single unit.
Head coach Bhatt says the team should have played at least four friendly matches during training. “In these two months, we should have played at least four friendly matches. That would have motivated the new players and mentally prepared them to compete against foreign teams. Unfortunately, that did not happen,” he says.
Captain Niruta remains confident the players will showcase what they learned in training. “Whatever the situation, we will give our best. We will show everything we have learned and everything the coaches taught us during training when we step onto the court,” she says.
