Know your stars: Ranbir Singh Virdi - grace personified

Punjab has a history of legendary Indian players. Does this put more pressure on you, or act as motivation?

During the Senior National Championships in Ludhiana in Dec 2012, there were a couple of posters outside the stadium of the former great players from Punjab, who were also Asia’s best players. I think it is great motivation for us when legends like Ram Kumar point out mistakes in our game. We feel that if they can achieve so much in their careers, so can we.

Coming to your professional team. You play for the Punjab Police. What is your designation and what are your work hours like? Doesn’t the work distract you from training and take away your practice time?

I don’t have to do any police duty. In three years, I haven’t even collected by uniform! My only job is to train hard at my craft, which is basketball. By designation, I’m a constable and will be promoted to the Havaldar rank soon. In my Punjab Police team, I have teammates who have been playing for the last 10-15 years. Many of them are married now. In some of the training sessions, they bring their young children over. It is really nice to see that. I would love to emulate these guys and play competitively for as long as possible. All my teammates motivate me to improve everyday.

You are one of the fittest players on the Indian national side. How do you maintain such a high level of energy throughout the four quarters? Most players showcase bursts of energy for small durations and slag off for the remaining time. Is your on-court productivity purely because of the hours spent in the gym?

Gymming isn’t the only reason. In fact, continuous gymming is also not good because your muscles get really bloated up and it reduces your stamina. A lot of my game is planned actually. You can still be in the game and manage to conserve energy. It comes down to strategy. At the senior level, it is not only physical strength but mental fortitude coupled with the ability to play with your teammates, that matters.

For example, I love playing with Amrit Pal Singh on the Punjab Police team. We play off each other. He is an excellent outside shooter. Whenever he is in form, I relax a little. At times, when the defense is aggressively guarding me after I have scored a few baskets, I lob it in to our post players and make them work down low. This gives me a bit of breathing room.

In action against Indonesia during the FIBA Asia 3 on 3 Championships, 2013 held in Doha, Qatar. (Photo courtesy: Ranbir Singh Virdi)

Tell us about your 3 on 3 FIBA Asia experience. Happy? Disappointed?

It was an excellent experience. We made a few mistakes, especially against Saudi Arabia, to whom we lost in the quarterfinals. I got to know what my mistakes and strengths were. I also got to see the system there. Abroad, a 4 pm game will start at 4 pm, not 3:59, and not 4:01. Back home, we still have to deal with delayed starts.

I also liked the fact that despite being in Doha, the organisers took special care to ensure that Indian food was readily available, apart from other international cuisines for players from different Asian countries. In India, if the tournament is in Chennai, then you have no choice but to eat south Indian food!

Everybody in India is waiting for our first NBA player. You have played with the promising 7ft 1 inch phenom Satnam Singh on the Punjab side before. What’s your take on him? Will he make it to the top league in the world?

Satnam is in the USA on a full scholarship. He has access to the best training facilities. He has a platform from which he can launch himself into the NBA in the next 4-5 years. It is really up to him to make the most of it. You can serve food on a platter, but you still have to be the one to put it in your mouth.

Do you model your game after others? Do you follow the NBA, watch videos?

I do copy moves of certain players. I keep watching videos and add elements to my game.

Favourite international players (and why): My favourite NBA players are Lebron James and Russell Westbrook. I am astounded by Lebron’s god gifted talents. He is 6ft 8 inches and can shoot threes. I don’t know any Indian player who is 6ft 8 inches and can shoot threes like him. His physique, body and power are unmatched. I see some of his workouts where he is smiling through them. I try out the same myself and struggle!

Another player I love to watch is Russell Westbrook. He is very aggressive and is never ‘down’. Even when he gets blocked, he picks himself right back up and is not worried about it. What I like is that he is not just happy about making his shots, but is pleased about assisting his teammates.

Favourite Indian players (and why): Jagdeep Singh. He was my roommate for a year in Jalandhar. He is a really classy player, who takes no pressure. He gives ‘power’ to all his teammates. In terms of his skill set he plays like any other normal player, but you just know that when the game is on the line “hum jeet jayenge kyonki Jagdeep hain hamaare saath” (we will win because Jagdeep is with us). Another favourite of mine is point guard TJ Sahi.

Message to fans and other youngsters (tips): Work hard. If you are playing, then don’t waste your time fooling around and train sincerely. Also, nowadays, drugs and alcoholism is widespread. So stay away from this. Avoid steroids and medicines to build your body. These are short cuts that will do you no good in the long run. You can get all the nutrition you need from a normal diet.

Your personal motto/ life philosophy: I’m always happy, no matter what happens. My teammates know that I am the most “mazaakiya” (fun) guy on the squad. Whenever I’m away from the practice sessions, they call me up and tell me that the practices are boring without me! In my mind, I know that I have areas to improve. Even I have problems, but I never show it externally. When I lose a game, I take a couple of moments to recover and then I pull myself together. Win or lose, at the end of the day it’s important to remember that it’s just a game.

This interview is part of the new ‘Know Your Stars’ column that profiles our most talented and active basketball players. Previous interviews from this series: Karnataka Captain Srinivas Naik, ONGC veteran Mohit Bhandari.