On some days, everything clicks. Every spike lands on the right side of the line, every improvised tip deceives the opponent and every topsy-turvy rally ends in victory. Friday was one such day for the Kolkata Thunderbolts, partnered by The Telegraph My Kolkata, as they won three sets on the trot to eliminate the Calicut Heroes and book a date with the Ahmedabad Defenders on Sunday for the right to be called the inaugural champions of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League (PVL).
David Lee endured a miserable evening, which ended with an unfortunate unforced error
Courtesy: Kolkata ThunderboltsKolkata’s resilience came to the fore in the second semi-final in one of the greatest set comebacks in the short history of the PVL. Trailing the Heroes 0-7 in the third set, the Thunderbolts chipped away at the points to draw level, before Matthew August gave his team two match points to close out the game. The second of those was converted in the most anti-climactic fashion possible as a video referral showed Heroes’ star man David Lee touching the net towards the end of an exhilarating rally. Lee’s inadvertent contact doomed the men in red and put the stamp on Kolkata’s ticket to the final.
Rahul’s splendid service gives Kolkata the advantage
Rahul Ramesh K was flawless in his service against Calicut
Courtesy: Kolkata ThunderboltsThe first set began with a compact Calicut resisting Kolkata’s big guns well in the opening exchanges. A few lapses of concentration from the Thunderbolts saw them go behind before a crucial super point reduced the margin between the teams to 12-10 in favour of Calicut. That is when an ingenious August produced a delectable lob serve that bewitched the Heroes, who stood frozen, allowing Kolkata to tie at 12-12.
A couple of measured spikes from Ashwal Rai, used sparingly by the Thunderbolts throughout the match on account of another potential niggle, gave Kolkata the edge. Thereafter it was left to Rahul Ramesh K and his sublime service to clinch the opening set for Kolkata by 16-14.
Birthday boy Vinit Kumar rises to the occasion
Vinit Kumar shares his man of the match award with Janshad U
Courtesy: Kolkata ThunderboltsThere could have been no better way for Kolkata’s master Universal, Vinit Kumar, to celebrate his 31st birthday than to have brought his A-game to the court against Calicut. The second set saw the man from Muzaffarnagar do just that, with his energy, power and athleticism proving too much for Calicut to handle. Some superb setting by Janshad U complemented Vinit perfectly, as both men turned out to be constant thorns in Calicut’s flesh on their way to a joint man-of-the-match display.
With Lee and Jerome Vinith fading out of the game in the second set, Kolkata’s key players took control. An epic rally in the middle of the set went to Kolkata with Vinit delivering a hammer blow to put his team 5-4 in the lead. A rasping spike from Rahul made it 10-7, shortly before Kolkata used their first of two successful reviews to pull clear. When August’s magnificent block stayed in at 13-8, all that was left was for someone to put the cherry on top of the cake. Vinit obliged with another bullet of a spike to win the second set for the Thunderbolts by 15-10.
A comeback to remember
The Thunderbolts came back from 0-7 down in the third set to to seal their spot in the final
Courtesy: Kolkata ThunderboltsCalicut began the third set like a team possessed, winning the first seven points to give the impression that a fourth set was a mere formality. Ajith Lal, Jerome and Lee all stepped up to the plate to breathe new life into the Heroes.
Kolkata, however, had not given up the set. Far from it. With the score at 9-4 in Calicut’s favour, Kolkata won a vital super point to turn the tide of the set. A fantastic tactical serve from Rahul into open, unmarked space then reduced the gap further till the two teams were deadlocked following one more unstoppable serve from Rahul.
Matthew August played his best game of the tournament so far
Courtesy: Kolkata ThunderboltsThe last few points of the set as well as the match saw some breathtaking rallies, most of which went Kolkata’s way. Rai, who was switching between cheering from the sidelines and nailing his trademark spikes, kept the Thunderbolts in the set, but a clever spike from Lee gave Calicut a set point at 14-12.
Kolkata held on and then used the double block of Vinit and August to bring the score to 14-14, after which August took over. His successive winners led to Kolkata’s second match point, during which Lee, August’s hero while growing up, erred with a net touch to bring down the curtain on a dramatic semi-final.
Eyes on the prize
The Kolkata camp was in full voice throughout Friday evening, led by co-owner Pawan Kumar Patodia
Courtesy: Kolkata ThunderboltsThere is no doubt that in contesting the final against the Ahmedabad Defenders on Sunday, Kolkata will face the one team who have been as good, or perhaps better, than them in the PVL so far. Their round-robin clash, which Ahmedabad dominated, will also be in the minds of the Thunderbolts as they get a day’s break before returning to court for the last time this season.
Reaching the final at the first time of asking already constitutes a memorable run for the Thunderbolts, but they will not want to come off second best on Sunday, when most of those in red and white will be playing the biggest match of their careers till date.
Rai’s fitness will be a nagging issue, but with Vinit and August in flying form, Kolkata are not the one-man team they seemed to be when they last triumphed over Calicut at the start of the month.
A rapidly improving service game, some ferocious blocking and the most nerveless spiking that any team has shown throughout the tournament mean that the Thunderbolts enter the final in the best possible shape. All that remains is keeping calm and maintaining the faith, for glory and history are within sight.
