Pankaj Sharma leaving no stone unturned to realize dream of winning international medal

Volleyball player Pankaj Sharma has his plans clearly chalked out. The versatile attacker will be playing for the Bengaluru Torpedoes in the upcoming edition of the Prime Volleyball League. He hopes to use the league to push on and achieve laurels in the sport and the international arena.

Pankaj Sharma was signed by the Bengaluru Torpedoes for ₹7.5 lakh from his base price of ₹4 lakh. He will be rubbing shoulders with foreign players Noah Taitano and Kyle Friend and hopes to learn a lot from the duo's experiences.

Pankaj Sharma has left no stone unturned in his quest to win an international medal with Team India.

Read: Vinit Kumar hopes Prime Volleyball League will do a world of good for Indian volleyball

Born to a family of apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh, Pankaj took to volleyball at school on the advice of his physical education teacher. With his father being a state-level volleyball player, Pankaj did not have to look far for motivation.

"I am always lucky to have the support of my family. My father, a farmer, was a state-level player. He used to bring the ball with him after practice, I used to play and understand the nuances of the sport then," Pankaj told Sportskeeda in a virtual interaction.

In a way, the Prime Volleyball League will be a game changer for Pankaj Sharma. The attacker will get an opportunity to pick the minds of foreign players. It will go a long way in helping him to win an elusive international medal.

"Indian players can improve leaps and bounds by playing with foreign players in the Prime Volleyball League. The skill sets of Indian and foreign players are varied. They are far more superior. I look forward to learning a lot from the foreign players and the experienced Ranjit Singh," Pankaj Sharma added.

Pankaj Sharma ready to go the extra-mile

Pankaj Sharma currently works as a Havildar in the Indian Army and is posted in Secunderabad. The Indian Army has had a tremendous impact on his volleyball career. Pankaj's biggest achievement was playing in Indian colors at the 2018 Asian Games. The Indian volleyball team finished 12th at the prestigious tournament.

Winning a medal on the international stage requires a lot of hard work and Pankaj Sharma isn't one to shy away from it.

"Although my goal is to win a medal at the international level, I know it is possible only through team work. I am motivated and one can achieve their goals only through extra practice. Although working in the Indian Army is busy, I make time for extra practice everyday to hone my skills and get better," he explained.

The Indian volleyball team once ruled the roost but suffered a steady decline in the 1990s. In recent times, the team has been unable to replicate the success of yesteryear. Speaking about how the Indian team can improve in the world and on the Asian stage, Pankaj Sharma said national camps with a longer duration will be the key.

"The Indian team is extremely backward in terms of competitiveness. We only have national camps before any tournament begins. We need national camps to happen for a longer duration. That will also help players to concentrate on their fitness levels too. Most of the players are employed with various departments and longer national camps will help them. That way, we can grow," Pankaj Sharma explained.