Jet Jerome, or Janbaaz Jerome are among the nicknames given to veteran Indian international Jerome Vinith. These nicknames aptly describe his style of play on the court, and even more so now that he has managed to lead Calicut Heroes to win the Prime Volleyball League season three title against Delhi Toofans 3-1 at the Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium Nehru here on Thursday.
Vinith, standing at 6 feet 4 inches tall, looked at his best as the team depended on him for wins. The final was a perfect example in which he individually scored 16 points, one more than the combination of Manoj Kumar (8) and Santhosh S (7), the top two point scorers for the Toofans.
The Heroes have appeared in two PVL semi-finals to date and lost both, so never having reached the final since the league’s inception has always been a thorn in Vinith’s heart. “For us, reaching the final was important. Winning the final was the second priority,” said the 31-year-old opposing striker.
This season, Heroes clinched a direct place in the finals after finishing first in the Super 5 points table.
While hard work and concentration were part of the Heroes’ training after the semi-final defeats in the previous sessions, a rather jovial Kishor Kumar, the Heroes head coach, quoted Rajnikanth’s dialogue from Baba , citing what the title meant to them: “Naan tard -aah vanthalum, last-aah varuven” (I will be the last, even if I arrive late).”
Hailing Vinith for his motivation and unwavering determination in the face of setbacks, Kishor said, “Although (Jerome) played good volleyball for two years in PVL, he failed to make it to the 2023 Asian Games and at the World Club Championship.
Upset by this treatment, Kishor took it upon himself to ensure that the 31-year-old proves his point to the public and the selectors. As expected, Vinith rose to the challenge by winning seven Player of the Match awards this season, including Best Forward and Most Valuable Player of the season with 161 points, 150 of which came from attacks.
Recalling his words to Jerome at the start of the session, Kishor said: “I told him that winning eight ‘Player of the Match’ awards this season is our goal. However, he only won seven plus one MVP awards. However, Vinith was quick to retort and said, “I will win the eighth next season.”
Fondly calling head coach Kishor Chettan (Malayalam term for elder brother), the 31-year-old Heroes captain has never felt the difference when it comes to training, despite being the only team to have two head coaches. “I don’t find any difference between two head coaches. Their words never clashed. They always discuss among themselves, come to a conclusion and then give us their verdict.
On the other hand, Kishor revealed that it was not the team management that encouraged the two-head coach formula. It was his idea to call Sailen Ramdoo as another head coach. “When I was studying coaching level 1 with the FIVB in 2014, he (Ramdoo) was my teacher. You can see him standing on the court while I’m by the bench, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jerome Vinith captained Calicut Heroes with the Prime Volleyball League Trophy in Chennai on Thursday. | Photo credit: Ragu R / The Hindu
Jerome Vinith captained Calicut Heroes with the Prime Volleyball League Trophy in Chennai on Thursday. | Photo credit: Ragu R / The Hindu
While a conflict of opinions or egos might be a concern with having two coaches, Kishor doesn’t think so. “Having two head coaches gives us time to plan more precisely. There has been no ego clash so far (between us), and we are growing every day,” Kishor said.
It is not surprising that the crowd turned out in large numbers to support the Calicut-based team, given that they have four players from Tamil Nadu, namely Vinith, Mohan Ukkrapandian, M Ashwin Raj and Praveen Kumar G.
Among the vast majority of local supporters were the “Chembada Army”, the Heroes fan club, chanting their slogan: “ Chembada ithu Chembada, Calicutin Chembada (It’s Chembada (the fan club), it’s Chembada from Calicut).”
With every spike Vinith hit, there was an explosion of cheers, boos and whistles. However, the best was saved for last when the opposing striker’s attack resulted in a winning result and a first PVL title for the Heroes. Expecting the crowd to support him and his team, Vinith finished with a smirk: “Ithu en ooru (This is my town).”
