Hyderabad’s Black Hawk has become one of the core contenders in the recent season of the Prime Volleyball League. In an exclusive interaction with The Pioneer, the captain of the team, S.V. Guru Prasanth, speaks about the game, and their association with the pan-Indian star Vijay Deverakonda.
Shikha Duggal
History has it that William G. Morgan, who invented the game of volleyball in 1895, came up with the idea of this sport. And he looked at the sports around him and picked the 
aspects that he thought suited his brief the best. Pronto, Hyderabad Black Hawks — our very own volleyball team is lending a totally competitive tone, and guess what? The owner of the club is none other than the pan-Indian brand ruling the rooster right now: Vijay Deverakonda.
With S.V. Guru Prasanth, the captain of the team, who is doing enough to win Hyderabadis hearts, he is becoming popular among the young crowd.
Hailing from Tamilnadu and also an international volleyball player, she is gathering steam at its best! The Pioneer further catches up with the sportsman to chat about the road so far and hereon.
“My father is a volleyball player too. It was he who asked me to take action on this new array of possibilities. I got down to taekwondo, and my father noticed the establishment of volleyball and asked me to try my hands on it,” he shared.
He’s hoping to bring more awareness to this refined sport, because this sport is waiting a bit longer to get into the conscience of a larger community.
He continued, “I have no interest in playing beach volleyball; my primary focus is indoor volleyball. The future looks rather bright. Techniques are more refined! I can make big strides by partaking in indoor volleyball in the league games containing sudden popularity in Hyderabad also now.”
Since a brand like Vijay Deverakonda has become the face of league games, we are noticing far better television and print coverage, ensuring that volleyball grabs eyeballs! Guru is content. “I can see the craze rising for volleyball in the city. Success at our tournaments is guaranteeing country-wide recognition, and even if you are not a fan, I can see the attitude changing. Gachibowli is the place to play — we received serious respect from the crowd. I hope to see spectators from old cities now to bring people together at one stadium.”
Telling us a little about Vijay’s association with the team, he says, “Vijay Deverakonda is addressed as “Anna” by the whole team. He doesn’t leave a chance to motivate us, what really prompted us to win was when we saw the Tollywood superstar encouraging us from the arena. I see many of my peers showing off their skills to him (he laughs). The big shot was actually shouting and clapping for us from the stands; it was unbelievable. Not just himself; he brought his whole family along. Finally, he doesn’t forget to leave notable messages for the whole team that all of us can note down and follow every day, every second, but all for the win.”
It’s no mean feat that volleyball has now forced its way into the reckoning as a major player in the city. You don’t need much equipment to play volleyball, all you need to do is be social and meet some new competitors along the way.
