Interview with Indian men’s basketball captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi: "We aim to break into top-8 in Asia"

You became the senior men’s team captain at the age of 18 – something that doesn’t happen always with a cager. Your thoughts?

I feel very honoured to become the senior men’s team captain at such an early age. It was really a special moment for me and my family.

Were you worried about handling the senior players in the side when you took up captaincy at the age of 18?

There is pressure when you are the captain of the national team. I was just 18 when I was named the captain and was bit worried about the senior players. But they have been very co-operative and made things comfortable for me. They have supported my decisions and given me a lot of love as a younger brother.

When did you make your first international debut?

At the junior level, I made my debut in the 2006 FIBA Asian basketball championship held in China, while I made my senior international debut at the 2007 Asian Basketball invitation tournament ( Penang Chief Minister’s Cup) held in Malaysia.

Throw some light on your major achievements as national captain.

I led the national side to a gold medal triumph in the 1st Asian Beach Games held in Bali, Indonesia in 2008. I was the flag bearer for India at the 3rd Asian Beach Games in Haiyang, China. I was also the Most Valuable Player at “Basketball without Borders” in 2008. It was the biggest achievement at the international level.

I also captained the Indian men’s cagers in the 2010 Asian games at Guangzhou – it was after a long gap of 28 years that the Indian basketball team had participated in an Asian Games. The Asian Games were a great experience for me. We showed great improvement as a team. We defeated Afghanistan in their first game of the tournament, a pre-qualifier that allowed us to enter the main group stage of the competition. The team also celebrated the Indian basketball team’s first-ever win at the Asiad. We also won a silver medal in 11th South Asian games in Dhaka in 2010 under my captaincy.

When did you join Railways? You won three national titles for them – so it must have been a very fruitful journey?

I joined the Indian Railways as T.E. in Western Railways in April 2008. I was a member of the Railways team which won the national title on three consecutive occasions.

You left Railways and moved to ONGC. Any particular reason for that?

There was no particular reason for me to leave Railways and join ONGC. It was the big opportunity for me. ONGC is also one of the best professional teams in India.

Indian basketball team is ranked 58th. What do you think is needed to bridge the gap and come close to top teams like US, Spain, Argentina, etc?

We have to keep working hard. We should aim to break into the top-8 in the Asia and put up a good challenge against the top Asian teams.