Right since the
age of 5, I knew what I had to do. Pick up a sport, and screw it. It was not
all that complex. Hard work, dedication, talent and a couple more possessions,
blended together to perfection. Anyways, skipping the immaterial part of what happened
in the next 13 yrs, let’s talk straight. At present, I’m 18, a national level tennis
player, and a 1st year student at IIT Roorkee.
IIT? Well, even
I can’t make out how exactly have things unfolded for me, but certainly all is
well. I thought my tennis would die down once I stepped in IITR, but I was
forced to reconsider my thoughts after experiencing the level of sports at this
place.
Last year,
the 47th edition of the Inter IIT Sports Meet, the most prestigious
event of its kind, was held at IIT Kharagpur in December 2011. The preparations
for it started right after the 46th one. Literally! For the new
comers, selections fired up vigorously, scrutinising anyone and everyone, to
get the best of the best. It took 4 months of thorough examination, along with
a camp conducted exclusively for the probable students, before our fate was
decided. Thank God, I was in.
Time flew
swiftly, days passing smoothly under our noses, pumping us with confidence with
each training session. At least that was the case with the seniors! For a 1st
yearite like me, it was hell shit! I was really nervous about whether I would
be able to hold on to my nerves, or not! After all, the responsibility was big.
But I welcomed it with open arms.
The journey
began on the 8th of December. Roorkee to Delhi was a nightmare. I
just couldn’t sleep, shivering all throughout, more because of the excitement
than the cold. Delhi to Kharagpur was as smooth as silk, thanks to the air
tickets we had. Crawling out of the Calcutta airport, we boarded a taxi and
within hours, reached where we had dreamt of being all year long. IIT Kharagpur.
We entered
in style, not because of our plain, yet elegant Adidas sponsored tracks (although
it might not be totally unrelated, because it did turn a lot of heads), but
because of the conviction with our preparation levels which made us look tall.
It took me quite some time to settle down in the haunted hostel, but I didn’t
really care. For all I knew it was show time man!
Other IIT’s
arrived late. Not knowing what was on their way. The draws in tennis were out soon. Mandi,
Patna, Ropar and Roorkee were in one group. I knew that the group stage matches
would turn out to be easy, but since I was starting with the singles match, I
was still nervous. In tennis, each round consists of one singles match,
followed by a doubles. If you win both, you win the round. If it’s a tie, just
hope you don’t screw up in the last deciding singles. We won our group matches
way more easily than expected, topping our pool with the belief that we could
persist till the last. Next up was quarter finals against Guwahati, and from
this particular point, the competition was no longer a piece of cake! Guwahati
was good, but we, were better. I won my singles match 6-1, 6-2 comfortably and
my seniors were equally impressive with a 6-2, 6-2 victory which cruised us
into the semi finals. Now only 4 teams remained. And as was expected, it was
last year’s winner Delhi, runners up Kanpur, third placed Bombay, followed by
fourth seed Roorkee.
And it was
around the same time when the predictions and the betting started. We were
surely the underdogs, for Roorkee hadn’t claimed a medal in tennis for years. I
personally believe bearing the ‘underdog’ status proved to be an advantage to
us, because we had nothing to lose, though a lot to gain, which surely helped
me play with a cool head.
We were up
against Kanpur in the semis, the team which had defeated us last year. Honest
to God, Roorkee will prefer to lose against any team but Kanpur. They have been
our long time most-hated rivals. And as expected, the court was a cauldron,
with supporters from the opposite sides exchanging words you wouldn’t want to
hear. I played against a 4th year guy in the first singles, who had
been really good with the ball throughout the tournament. But I got the better
of him, owning him 6-2, 6-2. A nice way to grant someone his farewell, haan! The doubles, which followed soon, was nothing
less than unusual. Unusual in the sense that it turned the whole battle into a
murky affair. Both the teams lost all respect, if any, for each other and it
was all and only about winning, as both desperately wanted a birth in the
finals. We somehow managed to overpower them 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. It was the first
time ever that we had reached the finals in an Inter IIT, and we were all
feeling on top of the world.
The stage
was set. We were actually there. The finals of the Inter IIT! I felt I had
already won, for having reached this far. It was Delhi on the other side now,
but it didn’t really matter. It was the last test of our sacrifice. I had to
play a 4th year guy, considered as the God of tennis, for he hadn’t
lost a single Inter IIT match in his entire career. I was determined to end his
streak but damn, things didn’t really go the way I wished. I fell to him 6-7,
6-4, 1-6, in a 3 hour thriller, before we lost the doubles, and consequently
the title to Delhi.
Though we
lost, I was in peace. I did my best, and couldn’t complain, as we were rewarded
handsomely. Inter IIT silver means so much to me. To be the best in something
amongst the best brains in the country deserves everyone’s respect.
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| The progression |
The closing
ceremony in Kharagpur marked the end of this chapter in our lives, but opened
another one. The 48th Inter IIT Sports Meet 2012! And with God’s
grace, the host IIT is none other than IIT Roorkee.
 |
| The Roorkee Tennis Team for 47th Inter IIT Sports Meet |
Rahul Adhikari
Ist Year
B.Tech. Civil