Bengaluru's Rohith hopes to become popular through Prime Volleyball League

The advent of private leagues has helped sportspeople a lot and it is no different for P Rohith of Bengaluru Torpedoes. The versatile player hopes that the Prime Volleyball League will help players like him become popular and climb the professional ladder quickly.

Bengaluru Torpedoes will take on the Kochi Blue Spikers in the fourth game of the glitzy league on February 8. The league is now being entirely played in Hyderabad after it was moved from Kochi due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Speaking on the eve of the match, Rohith said he is excited to play his first match in the league.

"Our team has been practicing together for a while and we have a good mix of experience and youth in our side. We have the team to put up good performances in the tournament," Rohith said.

Rohith, who plays as a middle blocker, hopes that the private glitzy league will help him achieve his career goals and become popular.

"Volleyball isn't as popular as cricket in India and volleyball players aren't that famous. With the Prime Volleyball League being broadcast on television, the audience can see us in action and start to recognize who we are. That way we have a chance to become popular. We are hoping to become famous players one day," he hoped.

Rohith overcame adversities early on in his life

Small-town players tackling adversities is not new in these leagues and in Rohith's case, the middle blocker overcame a lot of challenges. The versatile volleyball player said he had to adjust a lot during his formitive years due to lack of proper shoes.

The Bengaluru Torpedoes player took the help of his friends who stayed outside India to help him with his volleyball shoes. After receiving help, the player now makes sure none of his compatriots suffer the same way and often does go out of his way to help fellow players.

"My shoe size is 13, but I had to wear shoes of size 12 for a long time because that was the highest shoe size available in India. I didn't know that there were shoes of size 13 as well for a long time."

He added:

"After I started working for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, I started asking my friends who lived abroad to send shoes of size 13 to me here. And whenever I travel abroad for tournaments, I buy four to five pairs of shoes not just for myself, but for a few other players as well," he added.