Prachi Tehlan, the face of the Indian netball team, began playing the game in 2007, when her college director asked her to take part in an inter-college netball tournament. She did not even know about the game at the time. The six-foot-tall girl landed in the sport because of her height. About a month later, she received a letter from the Netball Federation of India saying she had been selected for the Indian camp for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
That took her to a 20-day Indian netball camp for the Commonwealth Games in 2008. She secured a place in the best 16, who were trained by the Sri Lankan coach Lourdes Jayasekera.
Her passion for the game made her work even harder, and she went on to captain the team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Prachi talks to Akshi Aggarwal about life after her Commonwealth Games fame and her plans for the future. Excerpts:
ISN: How does it feel to be captain of the Indian netball team?
Prachi: It feels really great. I never thought I would be given such a prestigious position for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. It’s just two years since I started playing this game. I never imagined that I would be leading the team.
ISN: What made you choose a sport that is not very popular with the masses in our country?
Prachi: I used to play badminton at school and later took up basketball. I took part in many basketball tournaments at different levels. It was during my first year of college that my sports in-charge brought me into this game. Since then there has been no stopping.
ISN: How did you and your family react when you were made captain of the team?
Prachi: It was a great honour. My parents were really proud of me. I never thought I would be given this responsibility, especially when there were many players in the team who were far more senior and experienced.
ISN: Now that you have played at international level, what difference do you see between your team and international teams?
Prachi: International teams like Australia and New Zealand excel in this sport. In fact, New Zealand took first place at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. But there has been immense improvement in India’s performance. We finished fourth at the Asian Youth Netball opener in July 2010. But there is a lot to improve, as the level of the other teams is much higher. We lack experience.
ISN: Are you happy with the facilities and infrastructure the government provides for netball players?
Prachi: Not really. Netball was to be included in the Railways and we were told we would get jobs after the Commonwealth Games. But nothing has been done so far and there are no jobs for netball players. The government provides other facilities, but stadiums are not always open for us to practise. For instance, the Thyagaraj Stadium was not given to us for the national camp last year to practise for the Singapore Open. There is very little money and there are no job opportunities.
ISN: Do you think people have started to know about the sport since the Commonwealth Games?
Prachi: Definitely, yes! But it’s still not as popular as cricket, tennis, basketball or football. It’s not equally popular in all parts of the country. In fact, it’s quite well known in some parts, such as UP and Chhattisgarh. I play for the Uttar Pradesh team.
ISN: Who inspires you to work hard, and who is your favourite player?
Prachi: My coach, Amit Sharma, has played an instrumental role in my journey so far. He is the man with the greatest knowledge of the game and his coaching techniques are very advanced. My favourite netball player is Sharelle McMahon, the captain of the Australian team.
ISN: What was the last tournament you played?
Prachi: I took part in the UP State Championship. I played for Ghaziabad and our team won the tournament.
ISN: What are your plans for the future?
Prachi: I’m studying marketing management at IMT, Ghaziabad, and plan to move to Canada for higher studies in sport later this year.
ISN: Have you been offered modelling assignments?
Prachi: Well, no! And I’m not interested in all that. I was among the top 10 glamorous faces of the Commonwealth Games, a list which included Jwala Gutta and Vijender Singh.
ISN: Your message to young sports lovers?
Prachi: Work hard and make your country proud. Success will come your way.
