Youngsters will benefit most from PVL, feels Pankaj Sharma

The Indian national volleyball player will represent Bengaluru Torpedos in the upcoming edition of the league.

A Havaldar in the Indian Army, Pankaj Sharma is eager to prove his mettle in the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23, which will take place in Kochi from 05 February to 27 February 2022. The 28-year-old felt that the tournament will motivate all Indian volleyball players to work on their fitness, "This tournament will encourage everyone to maintain their fitness levels because the tournament will demand a certain level of fitness. When I got to know that the RuPay Prime Volleyball League will take place, I started practicing even harder. The youngsters will benefit the most from the RuPay Prime Volleyball League as they can showcase their talent on a great platform."

When asked about how he started playing volleyball, Pankaj Sharma said, "I started playing volleyball when I was in school in Shimla. There was a coach in my school, who used to carry out physical activities. He asked me to start playing volleyball. After that, I went to a sports hostel in Rohru (Himachal Pradesh) in 2007."

Pankaj Sharma added that he learned the basics of volleyball properly in the sports hostel, "I grasped the basics of volleyball very well in the hostel. Thereafter, my cousin told me about Army Boys Sports Company where I could practice volleyball. So, I enrolled in the Army Boys Sports Company in Faizabad and after finishing my studies, I joined the Indian Army."

Pankaj Sharma further expressed that he had to face many difficulties in his volleyball career because he didn't come from a well-to-do family. "Whoever has financial constraints, he or she will always face difficulties especially when they have to pursue playing sports professionally. It's difficult to follow a proper diet or buy good pair of shoes and sports kits with the kind of income my parents earned at home. I faced a lot of financial issues before getting a job. My parents used to earn a small minimal income from apple farming which was only enough for the family. However, I am grateful that I always had great coaches to keep me motivated and help me through my tough times in life."

Pankaj Sharma also spoke about his biggest achievement in volleyball so far, "I played my first senior nationals in the 2012-13 season for the Services team. In 2013, I joined the India camp for the first time and played for the country the same year itself. My biggest achievement in volleyball is playing for India at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. It is every player's dream to represent their country."

Watch the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23, LIVE and Exclusive on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil and Telugu) from February 5, 2022 onwards. The RuPay Prime Volleyball League is exclusively marketed by Baseline Ventures, the leading sports marketing firm in the nation. RuPay, the first-of-its-kind Global Card payment network from India, has come on board as the Title Sponsor of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League and Fantasy games leaders A23 have signed on as “Powered By” Sponsors in a multi-year deal.

EatFit and Nippon Paint have come on board as Associate Sponsors and Cosco has associated with the RuPay Prime Volleyball League as the Official Partner. ShareChat and Moj are the Official Content Partners of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League.The RuPay Prime Volleyball League will feature 24 games and the League will shortly be announcing the fixtures for the upcoming season of action.

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