Indian kabaddi is at a crossroads. For the first time since the game was included in the Asian Games in 1990, the the team will return without winning gold. In part, it could be attributed to the efforts of one women based out of Nashik, Maharashtra.
As Iran shocked India 27-24 to clinch the women’s gold on Friday there was one figure constantly at goading them from the sidelines - Nasik-based Shailaja Jain. The 62-year-old has been a kabaddi coach in Maharashtra, was offered the job with Iran last year after spending decades waiting for a call up from the Indian outfit.
Jain had her moment of redemption on Friday when her wards downed fancied India to clinch an unprecedented gold.
“My mission was to prove I’m the best coach,” Jain was quoted as saying by Reuters. “And now we have the result.”
Thanks to the result, India slumped to their second disappointment in as many days after men’s team had lost a day earlier to their Iranian counterparts in the semi-final.
“Before the final, I told the girls ‘don’t send me back to India without a gold’. And after the match, some of them came to me and told me ‘madam, we’ve gifted you what you wanted’.”
From yoga to breathing exercise Jain brought her own work ethic to Iran. She even learned Persian to help communicate with the team.
“I’m sad that India lost. Like any other Indian, I love my country too. But I love kabaddi also and being the coach of this team, I had only Iran on my mind,” she said.
jain feels her biggest contribution to the team’s development was overhauling their defensive game.
“Everyone wanted to be a raider, nobody wanted to defend. Their catching technique was all wrong. We did well on Friday but it’s still not perfect.”
Jain’s contract with Iran ended with the Asian Games campaign and is hoping to coach another country in the near future. Could it be India?