Kolkata Thunderbolts captain Ashwal Rai celebrated his 29th birthday on Wednesday at the team’s training camp in Hyderabad ahead of the start of the 2022 edition of Prime Volleyball League, which begins from Saturday (5th February, 2022).

Kolkata Thunderbolts will kick off its campaign starting from Monday next week (7th February, 2022) and Ashwal will be leading the team as the captain for the first time. On being asked what challenges lie in store for him, a confident Ashwal said that he does not like to take pressure and believes in enjoying the sport.

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“I do not take pressure. But planning and implementing is part of the role of the captain. I am working on the same and learning more about how to lead the team in the best way possible,” he said.

“As a captain, you do get the pressure of producing results. But if you keep these things out of your mind, you will play better. Under pressure, you cannot produce a good game. So, I keep advising and guiding my team, and tell them if they make any mistakes. They also keep telling me if I need to change something on the field. This is how we work together,” he added.

The senior Indian blocker has played for India for several years and knows the Indian talent in other teams quite well.

There will be two players from USA who have joined the ranks at the Kolkata Thunderbolts – Ian Satterfield and Mathew August.

On being asked about what the two international stars can bring to the table, Ashwal said: “Mathew is a blocker. I have to learn a few things from him because he has a great technique. Jan is an Allrounder and from the warm-up to the team-building, he is giving bright ideas on how we can make a solid team. We are very gratetful to have these players in our ranks.”

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Ashwal wants to bring joy to the fans of Kolkata, who have shown their support to the sport and the franchise.

“Nothing happens without the support of fans. The more the people support us, the more the volleyball will rise and the franchise will rise. Our game will improve with it and for the fans, we will aim to reach the final,” he said.

“This time we have seven teams and the next time, it can be 10 teams. So, more players will start coming up. This will give hopes to so many young players that there is a career in volleyball,” he added.