India men's national volleyball 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.[1][2]

India
AssociationVolleyball Federation of India
ConfederationAVC
Head coachJaideep Sarkar
FIVB ranking67 (as of 10 July 2024)
Uniforms
Home
Away
World Championship
Appearances2 (First in 1952)
Best result8th (1952)
Asian Championship
Appearances19 (First in 1979)
Best result4th (2005)
volleyballindia.com

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

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Pre-Independence

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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).[3]

Establishment

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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.[4]

Golden years (1952–1962)

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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.[3]

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.[5]

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.[3]

The finest era (1960s–1980s)

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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.[3]

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.[3]

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.[3]

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.[6]

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.[6]

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.[5]

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.[5]

Decline (1990s–2000s)

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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.[7]

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.[3]

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.

2010–present

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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 and Mohan Ukkrapandian leading the way.[8] 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.[9]

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.[9]

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.[3][10]

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.[11] They topped their group, scoring an upset 3-2 victory over favourites South Korea.[12]

Notable players and past squads

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1958 Asian Games squad

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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

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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

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

2014 Asian Games squad

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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

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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

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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.[15] 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.[16]

Head coach Period
  Achutha Kurup[15] 1986-1994
  Shyam Sunder Rao[17] 1995–2002
2008–2011
  G.E. Sridharan[18] 2018–2020
  Jaideep Sarkar[19] 2023–present

Current technical staff

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Role Name
Head coach   Jaideep Sarkar[19]
Assistant coach   Tom Joseph
Assistant coach   Davinder Singh
Head Physio   Utkarsh Kulshreshtha
Trainer   Bhaskar Borah

Results and schedule

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2023

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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

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

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

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

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

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The following list consists of 12 players who are called for 2022 Asian Games.[20]

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 (age 24) 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 (age 26) 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 (age 26) 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 (age 27) 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 (age 28) 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 (age 33) 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 (age 20) 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 (age 28) 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 (age 31) 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 (age 27) 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 (age 38) 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 (age 26) 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)   Kolkata Thunderbolts

Competitive record

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Summer Olympics

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India has never qualified for the summer Olympics.[21][22][23]

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
  19962008   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

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India has appeared in the FIVB World Championship only twice.[24] 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

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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.[25]

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.[26] Since then, India has seen a decline in its performance and hasn't won a medal yet.[27]

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

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India has appeared in the finals for 18 times out of 21.[28] 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

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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.[29][30]

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

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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.[31]

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

Lusofonia Games

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India won its first gold medal at the Lusofonia Games in the 2014 edition.[32]

Year Position
  2006
 
  2009
4th
  2014
 

South Asian Games

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India is the most successful team at the South Asian Games having won an overall number of nine gold medals and two silver medals.[33][34]

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

Notes

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  1. ^ The Indian Ad-Hoc Committee did not allow their Indian men's team to participate in the tournament. As a result, India can still play their matches, but the results of the matches will be forfeited as requested by the Indian Ad-Hoc Committee.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Sahara to sponsor Indian volleyball". Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Sahara India to sponsor Indian volleyball". Retrieved 8 February 2023.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Indian volleyball team: star names and Asian Games success". Olympic Channel. 1 June 2020.
  4. ^ "formation of Volleyball Federation of India". Volleyball Federation of India.
  5. ^ a b c "Review of India's past performance in Asian Games Volleyball (1958–2010)". Sportskeeda. 16 September 2014.
  6. ^ a b "The story of Jimmy George, one of India's greatest volleyball players". Red Bull. 15 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Past Masters of Indian Sports: Jimmy George – volleyball legend who pursued excellence on and off the court". First Post. 28 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Asian Games 2014: India Finish Fifth in Men's Volleyball". NDTV. 2 October 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Volleyball federation suspended". Times of India. 12 December 2016.
  10. ^ "South Asian Games 2019: India add to gold haul after winning men's and women's volleyball summit clashes". Firstpost. 3 December 2019.
  11. ^ https://olympics.com/en/news/asian-games-2023-hangzhou-volleyball-schedule-results-scores-india-men-women [bare URL]
  12. ^ Prasad, Vishnu. "Asian Games: Indian volleyball men's team beat South Korea". The New Indian Express.
  13. ^ "Former India volleyball captain Udayakumar dead". Chennai, India: indianexpress. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Remembering a volleyball legend". Chennai, India: thehindu. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  15. ^ a b "Achutha Kurup is no more". The Hindu. 14 November 2017.
  16. ^ "Sundar Rao's 54 years of romance with volleyball". telangana Today. 26 June 1986.
  17. ^ "The essential coach". The Hindu. 22 August 2002. Archived from the original on 19 September 2004. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  18. ^ "Sridharan: 'PVL will help India catch up with Asian teams'". Sportstar. 28 November 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Asian Men's Championship Volleyball 2023 / Jaideep Sarkar: The team without defects will win the cup". Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  20. ^ Daily Bulletin #1 Asian Games 2022 (PDF). Asian Volleyball Confederation. 18 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Indian volleyball team fails to make Olympic cut". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  22. ^ "India volleyball team fall to Qatar in Olympic qualifier". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  23. ^ "2020 Men's Olympic Volleyball Qualifiers: India knocked out following three-set loss against Korea". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  24. ^ "1952 Volleyball World Championship results". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  25. ^ "Volleyball in India". 4 May 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  26. ^ "Iconic Asian Games medals: India's historic volleyball bronze in Seoul". 2 August 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  27. ^ "Asian Games 2014: India Finish Fifth in Men's Volleyball". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  28. ^ "India finish ninth at Asian volleyball championship". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Indian volleyball team felicitated". The Hindu. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  30. ^ "India finish 10th in Asian Men's Volleyball Cup 2022". 12 August 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  31. ^ a b "2023 AVC Men Challenge Cup Bulletin Day 2" (PDF). AVC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Lusofonia Games: India crushes Macau to win gold in men's volleyball". The Times of India. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  33. ^ "13th South Asian Games: Indian men's volleyball team clinch Gold; crushes Pakistan in title clash". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  34. ^ "South Asian Games: It's India vs Pakistan in men's volleyball final". The Times of India. December 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2023.