We need more exposure tours: Coach Anitha

Bengaluru: Three games, three defeats. For Indian Railways, the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Asia ended without a win, but the tournament offered something the team has never experienced — a closer look at the standards required to compete with Asia’s best.The Indian champions were outplayed by their opponents, with the gulf in physicality, fitness and court craft laid bare. Yet, head coach Anitha Pauldurai believes the experience must be the starting point of a larger push to improve Indian women’s basketball, rather than another disappointing chapter.“The federation has to think beyond preparing just for the Asia Cup. Every year, they have to fix at least five to six exposure tournaments, depending on the calendar. We have to go for more invitation tournaments and exposure trips, especially in the U-16 and U-18 categories,” Anitha said here on Saturday.The Railways team had limited time to train together before the competition. While the initial outing against Japan’s Denso Iris proved a steep learning curve, Anitha felt her players showed better cohesion in subsequent matches.“The way they connected and played in the last two games was important. I am not thinking only about the score, but about how they are playing together. If they get more exposure trips, we can compete better,” she said.The tournament also provided a reality check on conditioning. Anitha pointed out that the Indians began games with energy but struggled to sustain the intensity as the quarters progressed. Playing against stronger opposition, she added, gave the team a benchmark to work towards.Captain Pushpa Senthil Kumar echoed the sentiment, admitting that the lack of experience against top Asian sides had been a major factor. “When we played teams from Japan and Korea, we lost because we did not have any experience playing against them. But we have learnt a lot of things,” Pushpa told TOI.Meanwhile, Rashi Kothari, who scored eight points against Akari Sparks on Saturday, felt the team had improved as the tournament progressed, even if it had not met its own expectations.“As we played more matches, we improved as a team. There are mistakes we need to work on, but with more exposure, we can prove why we are the best team in the country,” she said.The challenge, however, goes beyond a few days of competition. Harshitha Kelttira Bopaiah, who hails from Coorg, pointed to the short preparation camps — often lasting just a month or two — as a major obstacle.She called for a structured grassroots programme and six months to a year of preparation for the national team. “I believe we’re lacking in a grassroots programme. It is essential to train players from a very young age and have more camps.”You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bengaluru | Silver Rate in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Petrol Price in Bengaluru | Diesel Price in Bengaluru | CNG Price in Bengaluru | LPG Price in BengaluruStay updated with the latest Bengaluru news. Download the TOI App.