Indian volleyball star Muthusamy Appavu reflects on thrilling win over South Korea, LM Manoj's cameo and more

With two wins from two matches, India topped Pool C and qualified for the knockouts.

Indian men’s volleyball team created history by defeating South Korea 3-2 in their second group stage match in the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. South Korea, ranked 27th globally and fourth in Asia, are one of the favourites to win gold at the Asian Games, where they have medalled in every edition since 1966. They are also a three-time champion in the men’s competition and finished as silver medallists in 2018.

Therefore, unsurprisingly, India were the underdogs going into the match and not many expected a positive result against the fourth-ranked Asian side.

South Korea also finished a credible fifth in the Asian Volleyball Championship 2023 and have always been one of the best teams in Asia. A win against them has boosted India’s morale which will help going further into the tournament.

𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 🏐Massive result for the Indian men's volleyball team. 🥳🔥India stun World No. 27 and #AsianGames 2018 silver medallist Korea 25-27, 29-27, 25-22, 20-25, 17-15 in Pool C match. 👏👏#volleyball #AsianGames2023 pic.twitter.com/iW8OT07OZl

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 20, 2023

Thoughts on match against South Korea

Post the win, India’s primary setter Muthusamy Appavu spoke to Khel Now and shared his thoughts on the match and what the win meant to the team.

Earlier this season, Muthusamy Appavu captained the Ahmedabad Defenders to title triumph in the Prime Volleyball League (PVL) season 2. He boasts of a good amount of experience with the senior team and has been the go-to setter for the past few years. The combo of Muthusamy and Ashwal Rai has been the most talked about pair in Indian volleyball scenario recently and they showed once again why it is so, against heavyweights Korea.

After the win against South Korea, Muthusamy said, “Really happy with the way we have fought and won today against South Korea. The team never had any pressure going into the match as this was a group stage encounter. All of us wanted to give our best and play until the match gets over. We also had hopes of beating Korea since we know our level in terms of our skill set.

“In the recently concluded Asian Volleyball Championship, we came close to reaching the quarterfinals. So, we knew we are gradually reaching the top level and playing against top countries shouldn’t be a big deal. The focus now is entirely to qualify for the quarterfinals and then the medal round.”

Comeback post losing the opening set

Against Korea, India lost the opening set by a close margin (25-27). Premier attacker Ashwal Rai missed a genuine shot setup by Muthusamy Appavu which handed Korea the set.

Muthusamy reflected on that missed opportunity, “Me and Ashwal have been playing for a long time and that was a small misunderstanding between us. I got injured midway through the opening set and the injury was continuously playing on back of my mind.

“Ashwal and me have formed a good combo and always have had a mutual understanding. If anyone commits any mistake, we accept it whole heartedly and try to avoid repeating it. After the first set loss, my mindset with respect to injury changed completely and I started playing better as the match went by.”

The setter further informed on the quality the team lacked today. “Our weakness as of now is the receiving part and in the first few sets, we did not receive properly. Going forward in future matches, we will be looking to make improvements and keep the ball in play for maximum minutes as possible.”

India managed to get back into the match winning set 2 and 3 and were on the verge of creating an upset. Then coach Jaideep Sarkar introduced the tall lanky LM Manoj as a substitute. He made a huge difference as he combined well with Muthusamy throughout the game. Manoj has a vast experience of playing in the PVL and was part of the finals in both the PVL seasons played so far.

India 🇮🇳 stun three-time champions and reigning Asian Games silver medallist 🇰🇷 South Korea 3-2 in their 2nd Pool C match in men's volleyball competition. 🏐🔥India are now assured a 🔝-place finish in the Group!! 😍📸 Sony LIV#volleyball #AsianGames2023 #AsianGames pic.twitter.com/EAnG1EwDel

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 20, 2023

“I had asked coach Tom Joseph and the captain (Vinit Kumar) to get Manoj onto the court as we enjoy good rapport with each other and have played together before in the PVL. The addition of Manoj proved to be massive as he helped us get to the match point with a block in the decider. Apart from just blocking, he has the tendency to attack well which also helped.”

South Korea fought back to level sets and took the match to the decider. India were leading 7-4 in the early stages, but South Korea leveled scoreline at 13-13 and went ahead and were serving for the match. India though held on and showed composure to win the match in fine fashion.

Muthusamy Appavu’s relationship with senior pro Mohan Ukkrapandian

Another setter in the team is the experienced and veteran Mohan Ukkrapandian, who is playing in his fourth Asian Games. He played an active role in the dugout instructing the players during timeouts and giving valuable guidance.

Muthusamy spoke on his relationship with Ukkrapandian, “I know Mohan Ukkrapandian for a pretty long time (probably since 2018). We enjoy strong camaraderie between us as we know each other very well. To be honest if he is in the squad then I do not have much pressure, as I know that there is someone very experienced behind in the ranks.

So even if I don’t play well on any particular day then Mohan Ukkrapandian is there to fill my presence and his experience cannot be replaced either.

Libero Hari Prasad was playing in his first major senior tournament and had a near perfect outing. In the first set, Hari Prasad dug in deep to receive the fast-incoming Korean serves. Alongside him, Shameemudheen also had a good game in the initial few sets.

“It is now time for us to rest and with tomorrow being off, we will decide on the strategies in the evening for the match against Chinese Taipei in the pre-quarterfinals.

“The team shares a wonderful camaraderie. Even now when I am speaking with you the players from behind are teasing and making fun of me. During the match Santhosh and Guru keep motivating from the dugout and talk that if we medal at the Asian Games, we will be given a lump sum money and we can settle down well (laughs),” concludes Muthusamy Appavu.