India men's national volleyball team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see India women's national volleyball team.

India

Association	Volleyball Federation of India
Confederation	AVC
Head coach	Jaideep Sarkar
FIVB ranking	67 (as of 10 July 2024)
Uniforms
Home Away
World Championship
Appearances	2 (First in 1952)
Best result	8th (1952)
Asian Championship
Appearances	19 (First in 1979)
Best result	4th (2005)
volleyballindia.com
Honours Asian Games 1962 Jakarta Team 1958 Tokyo Team 1986 Seoul Team Asian Cup 2014 Almaty Team 2010 Urmia Team Lusofonia Games 2014 Goa Team 2006 Macau Team South Asian Games 1987 Calcutta Team 1991 Colombo Team 1995 Madras Team 1999 Kathmandu Team 2004 Islamabad Team 2006 Colombo Team 2010 Dhaka Team 2016 Guwahati Team 2019 Kathmandu Team 1989 Islamabad Team 1993 Colombo Team

The India men's national volleyball team represents India in international volleyball competitions. It is managed by the Volleyball Federation of India and is currently sponsored by Sahara India Pariwar and Asics.

The Indian volleyball team has had a rollercoaster ride in its history. Although they have never qualified for the Olympics, they have appeared in the World Championship twice.

Despite having little to no presence at the world stage in its history, the team has enjoyed some success at the continental level by clinching a silver medal and two bronze medals at the Asian Games. After the decline post 1980s, the team has fared well at the recently introduced Asian Cup competition, receiving a silver and a bronze medal so far.

History

Pre-Independence

Though the game was played informally for a long time, the first interstate volleyball tournament was held in 1936 by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Establishment

In 1951, the formation of Volleyball Federation of India gave the sport a better structure and the interstate tournament evolved into the senior national championship with the first edition being held in 1952. This platform gave birth to many talents who went on to represent India at the international level.

Golden years (1952–1962)

India had immediate success after formation as they made their debut in FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship's 1952 edition. After losing to France and Czechoslovakia by comfortable 3–0 margins in the first round, they made a comeback in the 7th–8th placing round as they beat Finland, Lebanon and Israel to clinch the 8th spot.

In 1955, India won the Asian Volleyball Tournament which was held in Tokyo. Three years later, the Gurudev Singh led team won the bronze medal at the 1958 Asian Games. They beat Hong Kong and the Philippines in three straight sets but could not get past volleyball powerhouses Iran and Japan, though they managed to win a set against each.

In the 1962 Asian Games they managed to go one step ahead as they began their campaign with four consecutive wins against Burma(twice), Cambodia and Pakistan. Their old rivals Japan got the better of them in what was a five set thriller, with Japan winning the final set by 15–12 margin. This team was led by legendary players Nripjit Singh Bedi and A. Palaniswamy, both Arjuna Award winners, who had graduated to the senior team, which was then led by TP Padmanabhan Nair, who was also a part of the 1958 team. India has to settle for the Silver Medal which is currently their highest achievement ever at the Asian Games.

The finest era (1960s–1980s)

After a memorable outing at the 1962 Asian Games, India finished fourth and fifth at the 1966 and 1974 Asian Games respectively, not making it to the 1970 edition in between.

India did not enter into the inaugural Asian men's volleyball championship in 1975 but made their debut in the following tournament in 1979 where they finished fifth. In the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok and at the 1982 Asian Games at home in New Delhi, the Indian volleyball team saw another upswing after finishing seventh and fourth respectively, falling just short of a medal in 1982 edition after they finished at the bottom of the table among four teams in the final round, going down to the heavyweights South Korea and China in straight sets.

In the following year at the Asian Volleyball Championship in Tokyo, India finished fifth yet again without any medal. However, the wait for a medal would not last too long.

In the 1986 Asian Games India sent arguably its best team ever. Led by Cyril Valloor, the team boasted the presence of former national coach GE Sridharan, K Udayakumar, who later went on to captain the Indian volleyball team, Abdul Basith, Dalel Singh and PV Ramana, father of Indian badminton star PV Sindhu.

All of them were Arjuna awardees but the most special of them all and the team's lynchpin was the talented Jimmy George, an Arjuna winner himself and a legend of Indian volleyball. He had been tearing up the national circuit for a decade and also had stints at clubs in Italy, one of the best leagues in that era, along with GE Sridharan.

Jimmy George towered at a height of 6'2" and had the advantage of graceful jumps. His ability in the air for a fraction of a second longer helped him in his smashes, all of which were very powerful thanks to his larger frame.

All of these factors combined well together and the Indian volleyball team started the Asian Games with four victories – against Hong Kong, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.

Later in the games, they went down to the home team South Korea, who went on to register another victory later, but in between the Indian volleyball team finally managed to beat powerhouses Japan, more impressively in straight sets, facilitated by Jimmy George's tremendous drive. However, they could not sustain the momentum, as they fell to eventual champions China, to end up with bronze medal.

Decline (1990s–2000s)

The general popularity of the sport in the country declined in the years to follow as in-fighting within federations coincided with the death of Jimmy George in an accident in 1987 and adding to it was the rise of the Indian national cricket team as a powerhouse.

The Indian volleyball men and women's teams dominated the South Asian Federation Games in the nineties, winning three medals each, but it did not spark a revival, with subpar performances to follow at the 2006 and 2010 by the men after they came at ninth and sixth respectively.

However, they finished fourth in the 2005 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship which is currently their highest ever finish at this tournament. They went all the way to semi-finals where they lost in straight sets against Japan and then went down to South Korea in third place match losing with a margin of three sets to one.

Yes there was some a decline, but Sube Singh, former captain standing at a staggering 6 feet 9 .inches, with his energetic teammates like Rampal Singh, Dinesh Singh, and Sanjay Kumar, helped them win many titles from 2002-2014 and increased the ranking to the highest ever 34. Sube Singh's unparalleled blocking skills made him a formidable force on the court. At his peak, he was not only the best blocker in India but also recognized globally as one of the finest blockers in the world. His defensive prowess and strategic acumen were pivotal in leading the team to numerous victories, setting a benchmark in Indian volleyball history. The period from 2002 to 2014 was marked by relentless effort and a series of accolades, reflecting the hard work and dedication of him and his teammates. Their collective achievement in reaching the highest ranking ever stands as a testament to their skill, determination, and synergy on the court. Sube Singh's legacy remains an enduring symbol of the heights that can be achieved through teamwork, perseverance, and exemplary leadership. His contribution to the sport continues to inspire and motivate upcoming players to strive for excellence.

2010–present

The 2010 and 2014 editions of the Asian Games provided some respite as the Indian volleyball men's team finished a respectable fifth with modern-day stars and inspirational captains Sinnadu Prabhagaran, Sube singh and Mohan Ukkrapandian leading the way. The team also played at the Asian Cup, where they achieved some fine results, capturing bronze medal at the 2010 Asian Cup and reached all the way to the final of the 2014 Asian Cup by defeating Japan in the group stage, the top Asian team Iran in the semi-final before succumbing to South Korea with a margin of three sets to one. Besides couple of good performances at the Asian level, the team also managed to claim a gold medal at the 2010 South Asian Games.

The Indian volleyball men's team was ranked 34th in 2014, their best in the world, they also managed to win a gold medal eighth gold medal at 2016 South Asian Games, but just as it seemed that the sport was picking up again, an internal dispute in the VFI meant that it was banned from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) for two years till 2018.

It meant that Indian volleyball players could not travel to other leagues to play, which affected the exposure to different styles, a factor which coach GE Sridharan felt led to a 12th-place finish at the 2018 Asian Games.

The Pro Volleyball League, a franchise-based tournament was started in 2019 and it featured stars like American David Lee, an Olympic gold medallist in 2008. India also gained their ninth and seventh successive gold medal at the South Asian Games in 2019.

The men's Indian volleyball team did not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics following their loss in the Olympic qualification tournament. The team finished sixth in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. They topped their group, scoring an upset 3-2 victory over favourites South Korea.

Notable players and past squads

• Mohan Ukkrapandian,
• Sube Singh
• Balwant Singh
• Riaz Ahmed
• Abdul Basith
• Jimmy George
• K. Udayakumar
• Cyril C. Valloor
• Shyam Sunder Rao
• A. Ramana Rao
• Tom Joseph
• G. E. Sridharan
• Anup D'Costa
• K. J. Kapil Dev
• Tilakam Gopal
• Naveen Raja Jacob
• Suresh Kumar Mishra
• A. Palanisamy
• R. K. Purohit
• Yejju Subba Rao
• T. P. Padmanabhan Nair

1958 Asian Games squad

T. R. Arunchalam, S. L. Gupta, Bharatan Nair, T. P. Padmanabhan Nair, Abdur Rahman, Raman Raman, S. K. Sheikuchan, Gurdev Singh. Coach: H P Kohli, Kuldip Chand Chopra (Delhi, UT), Narayan Singh Thakur

1962 Asian Games squad

Nripjit Singh Bedi, Tilakam Gopal, Joseph, Jai Karan, Khalid, Munnalal, T. P. Padmanabhan Nair, A. Palanisamy, Des Raj, Jaswant Singh. Coach: HP Kohli

1986 Asian Games squad

Jimmy George, K. Udayakumar, Kirtesh Kumar, Sukhpal Singh, Mehar Singh, GE Sridharan, Sandeep Sharma, P. V. Ramana, Dalel Singh, Abdul Basith, Cyril Valloor

2010 Asian Games squad

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Dinesh Coimbatore, Venugopal Jayram , Sanjay Kumar, Balwinder Singh , Sube Singh, Naveen Raja Jacob, Navjit Singh, Mohan Ukkrapandian, Gurinder Singh, P.S.Srikanth, Adam Septiohadi

2014 Asian Games squad

G. R. Vaishnav, Kamlesh Khatale, Karthik Ashok, Prabagaran, Hardeep Singh, Naveen Raja Jacob, Gurinder Singh, reyant, Jerome Vinit Charles, Mohan Ukkrapandian, Ranjit Singh, Pattani Prabakaran

2022 Asian Games squad

Amit Gulia, Vinit Kumar, Shameemudheen Ammarambath, Muthusamy Appavu, Hari Prasad Bevinakuppe Suresha, Rohit Kumar, Manoj Lakshmipuram Manjunatha, Mohan Ukkrapandian, Ashwal Rai, Santhosh Sahaya Anthoni Raj, Guru Prasanth Subramanian Venkatasubbu, Erin Varghese

Managerial history

HP Kohli was considered as the best coach Indian Volleyball team ever had. HP Kohli coached Indian Volleyball team during its golden era of 1950s to 1970s. He expired on 13th Jan, 1980 due to cardiac arrest.

Achutha Kurup was considered as the master tactician who guided India to its last medal at the Asian Games. Kurup was appointed in 1982 ahead of 1982 Asian Games in Delhi, but what brought him fame was a bronze medal in 1986 Asian Games four years later. Besides the medal in Seoul, Kurup was also at the helm when the Indian team won the silver in an international tournament in Japan in 1989. Shyam Sunder Rao was appointed as the coach of Indian volleyball team after his success with the Junior national team. With his eyes set on a medal in the 2002 Asian Games, Sunder Rao's side missed an opportunity to end India's medal draught at the Asian Games since 1986, as they missed a place in the semi-finals by one point. However, the team went on to beat Pakistan and Chinese Taipei to finish fifth in the tournament.

Head coach	Period
Achutha Kurup	1986-1994
Shyam Sunder Rao	1995–2002
	2008–2011
G.E. Sridharan	2018–2020
Jaideep Sarkar	2023–present

Current technical staff

Role	Name
Head coach	Jaideep Sarkar
Assistant coach	Tom Joseph
Assistant coach	Davinder Singh
Head Physio	Utkarsh Kulshreshtha
Trainer	Bhaskar Borah

Results and schedule

2023

Main article: Volleyball at the 2022 Asian Games – Men

19 September 2023 (2023-09-19) 19:00	India	3–0	Cambodia	China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium, Hangzhou Attendance: 454 Referees: Wong Chi Chor (HKG), Zolbayar Ganbaatar (MGL)
	(25–14, 25–13, 25–19) P2 Report

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20 September 2023 19:00	India	3–2	South Korea	Linping Sports Centre Gymnasium, Hangzhou Attendance: 1,302 Referees: Taisuke Togawa (JPN), Yul Benosa (PHI)
	(25–27, 29–27, 25–22, 20–25, 17–15) P2 Report

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22 September 2023 (2023-09-22) 14:30	India	3–0	Chinese Taipei	China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium, Hangzhou Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Banthom Pimthongkhonburi (THA), Agung Purwantoro (INA)
	(25–22, 25–22, 25–21) P2 Report

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24 September 2023 (2023-09-24) 14:30	Japan	3–0	India	China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium, Hangzhou Attendance: 3,100 Referees: Alireza Gharib (IRI), Banthom Pimthongkhonburi (THA)
	(25–16, 25–18, 25–17) P2 Report

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26 September 2023 (2023-09-26) 18:30	India	0–3	Pakistan	China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium, Hangzhou Attendance: 3,100 Referees: Fan Gaoxiang (CHN), Jaafar Abdulla Al-Moalem (BHR)
	(21–25, 20–25, 23–25) P2 Report

Current squad

The following list consists of 12 players who are called for 2022 Asian Games.

Head coach: Jaideep Sarkar

#	Position	Name	Date of birth	Height	Spike	Block	2023–24 Club
1	OP	Guru Prasanth S. V.	(2000-04-11) April 11, 2000	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	358 cm (11 ft 9 in)	330 cm (10 ft 10 in)	Hyderabad Black Hawks
2	OH	Amit Gulia	(1998-04-25) April 25, 1998	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	343 cm (11 ft 3 in)	316 cm (10 ft 4 in)	Mumbai Meteors
3	OH	Erin Varghese	(1998-04-25) April 25, 1998	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	323 cm (10 ft 7 in)	323 cm (10 ft 7 in)	Kochi Blue Spikers
4	S	Muthusamy Appavu	(1997-07-10) July 10, 1997	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)	324 cm (10 ft 8 in)	302 cm (9 ft 11 in)	Ahmedabad Defenders
5	MB	Ammarambath Shameemudheen	(1996-03-06) March 6, 1996	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)	357 cm (11 ft 9 in)	333 cm (10 ft 11 in)	Mumbai Meteors
6	OP	Vinit Kumar	(1991-02-25) February 25, 1991	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	339 cm (11 ft 1 in)	327 cm (10 ft 9 in)	Kolkata Thunderbolts
7	OH	Nihal Jadav	(2004-03-13) March 13, 2004	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)	341 cm (11 ft 2 in)	321 cm (10 ft 6 in)	Ahmedabad Defenders
8	OH	Rohit Kumar (c)	(1996-01-05) January 5, 1996	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	340 cm (11 ft 2 in)	318 cm (10 ft 5 in)	Kochi Blue Spikers
9	MB	Ashwal Rai	(1993-02-02) February 2, 1993	2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)	356 cm (11 ft 8 in)	331 cm (10 ft 10 in)	Kolkata Thunderbolts
10	MB	Lakshmipuram Manjunatha Manoj	(1997-06-09) June 9, 1997	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	350 cm (11 ft 6 in)	330 cm (10 ft 10 in)	Ahmedabad Defenders
11	S	Mohan Ukkrapandian	(1986-05-15) May 15, 1986	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	324 cm (10 ft 8 in)	307 cm (10 ft 1 in)	Ahmedabad Defenders
12	L	Hari Prasad B. S.	(1998-01-15) January 15, 1998	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)	–	–	Kolkata Thunderbolts

Competitive record

Summer Olympics

India has never qualified for the summer Olympics.

Summer Olympics record							Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	L		Pld	W	L
1964	Did not qualify						–
1968
1972
1976	Did not enter						Did not enter
1980	Did not qualify						5th
1984							5th
1988							5th
1992							10th
1996–2008							Did not qualify
2012							3	0	3
2016							Did not qualify
2020							3	0	3
2024							Did not qualify
Total	0/15						6	0	6

FIVB World Championship

India has appeared in the FIVB World Championship only twice. They came really close to qualifying in the 2002 qualifiers, missing a place in the World Championship by one spot as they finished third among three best second-placed finishers.

FIVB World Championship record							Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	L		Pld	W	L
1949	Did not enter						–
1952	7th–8th placings	8th	6	3	3
1956	21st–24th placings	21st	5	3	2
1960	Did not enter
1962
1966							Did not enter
1970
1974
1978
1982	Did not qualify						6	5	1
1986							7	5	2
1990							6th place
1994	Did not enter						Did not enter
1998
2002	Did not qualify						3	2	1
2006							5	2	3
2010							6	3	3
2014							6	5	1
& 2018	Suspended						Suspended
2022	Did not qualify						No Asian qualification were held
2025	Did not qualify						–
Totals	2/21	8th	11	6	5	20	12	8

Asian Games

During the initial years, India had an immediate success as they clinched 2 bronze medals and a silver medal in their first 7 Asian Games' campaign.

Following a bronze medal in 1986 Asian Games, India did not participate in the next two tournaments due to the controversy in the Federation and the death of Jimmy George. Since then, India has seen a decline in its performance and hasn't won a medal yet.

Asian Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	L
1958	Group stage	Bronze Medal	4	2	2
1962	Final round	Silver Medal	7	6	1
1966	Final round	4th	8	5	3
1970	did not enter
1974	Classification 5th–8th	5th	5	3	2
1978	Classification 7th–12th	7th	5	3	2
1982	Final round	4th	5	3	2
1986	Final round	Bronze Medal	8	5	3
1990	did not enter
1994
1998	Classification 7th–8th	7th	5	3	2
2002	Classification 5th–6th	5th	6	4	2
2006	Preliminary round	9th	4	3	1
2010	Classification 5th–6th	6th	8	5	3
2014	Classification 5th–6th	5th	8	4	4
2018	Classification 11th–12th	12th	6	2	4
2022	Classification 5th–6th	6th	5	3	2
Totals	13/16	Runners-up	84	51	33

Asian Championship

India has appeared in the finals for 18 times out of 21. Their highest ever finish being in 2005 when they ended up at the fourth place.

Asian Championship record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	L
1975	did not enter
1979	Classification 5th–8th	5th	6	5	1
1983	Classification 5th–8th	5th	7	5	2
1987	Classification 5th–8th	5th	8	5	3
1989	Classification 5th–8th	6th	8	5	3
1991	Classification 9th–12th	10th	5	2	3
1993	Classification 9th–12th	9th	5	3	2
1995	did not enter
1997	Classification 9th–12th	9th	9	6	3
1999	Classification 9th–12th	9th	8	6	2
2001	Classification 5th–8th	7th	6	2	4
2003	Classification 5th–8th	5th	9	6	3
2005	Semi-finals	4th	7	4	3
2007	Classification 9th–12th	9th	10	9	1
2009	Final round	9th	8	6	2
2011	5th–8th semi-finals	6th	6	3	3
2013	5th–8th semi-finals	7th	7	3	4
2015	9th–12th semi-finals	11th	6	3	3
2017	Suspended
2019	5th–8th semi-finals	8th	9	2	7
2021	9th–12th semi-finals	9th	7	4	3
2023	Classification 7th–12th	11th	5	2	3
Totals	19/22	4th	136	81	55

Asian Cup

India has done well in the recently introduced Asian Cup competition, qualifying for it three times. Their highest ever finish came in the 2014 edition where they beat old rivals Japan in the preliminary stage, Iran in the semi-finals before losing to South Korea in the final. They had to settle for a silver medal which extended their wait for a gold medal at the Asian level since their formation.

Asian Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	L
2008	did not qualify
2010	3rd place match	Bronze Medal	6	3	3
2012	3rd place match	4th place	6	2	4
2014	1st place match	Silver Medal	6	4	2
2016	did not qualify
2018
2022	Classification round	10th place	4	1	3
Totals	4/7	Runners-up	22	10	12

Asian Challenge Cup

The Indian Ad-Hoc Committee did not allow the Indian team to participate in the 2023 tournament. As a result, India still played their matches, but the results of the matches was forfeited as requested by the Indian Ad-Hoc Committee.

Asian Challenge Cup record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	L
2023	Classification 13th–15th	15th	3	0	3

Lusofonia Games

India won its first gold medal at the Lusofonia Games in the 2014 edition.

Year	Position
2006
2009	4th
2014

South Asian Games

India is the most successful team at the South Asian Games having won an overall number of nine gold medals and two silver medals.

Year	Position
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1999
2004
2006
2010
2016
2019

See also

• India women's national volleyball team