BENGALURU: If there is a list of legends in Indian sports, Sachin Tendulkar, Bhaichung Bhutia, Leander Paes, Geet Sethi, Mary Kom, and Abhinav Bindra will be the top names. But when it comes to basketball, which has failed to make it to the big five among Indian sports, one name will be synonymous with Indian basketball — Anitha Paul Durai. She may not be among the top names in Indian sports, but that doesn’t make her less than a legend.
The 32-year-old from Tamil Nadu has played nine Asian Basketball Championships since her debut in 2001, and yet she doesn’t fail to mesmerise. With an average height of 5’7”, she doesn’t stand tall among her counterparts, but what makes her a standout performer is her sheer determination.
Even after suffering dozens of injuries throughout her career, she still maintains a high shooting percentage. In the game against Uzbekistan, she converted six of the seven three-pointers she attempted, which she felt was a result of practise.
“I used to play in different positions and keep running continuously. But now with age, I don’t have the endurance to run and shoot from inside the arc. So I practised distance shooting for the last four months. I think that has paid off.”
The fact is that she is at least four years older than the most senior player in the squad doesn’t reflect in her performances. With 28 points, five rebounds and five assists, she led her team past Uzbekistan 92-76 in their opening game in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup here on Sunday.
Employed with the Indian Railways, she has been dominating the national circuit for almost a decade now. She won the Federation Cup basketball with Tamil Nadu and Railways ten times. In 2012, she was invited to play for Sripatum University in the professional basketball league in Thailand. Her team finished third that season.
At 32, she is past her prime but still continues to train as hard as her teammates. “I never believed I could come back after going on a maternity leave. But my husband motivated me to continue playing. Now, I believe I have a job to do for my team and they need guidance on court. Most of the players are juniors so I should be there for at least another year and help guide them so that they can ultimately take my place,” she said.
The formidable cager has received many national and international accolades. She has led India to multiple gold medals in Asian and South Asian Beach Games. But while her one-time teammate Geethu Anna Jose was conferred with the Arjuna Award, Anitha was deprived of that. “I think I can mostly continue for a year or two maximum. But let’s see, hopefully, I will get the award next year. I won’t quit basketball whatsoever. I will continue as a coach for sure after I hang up my boots,” she signed off, smiling.
krishnendu@newindianexpress.com
Results: Division A: Group A: New Zealand bt Korea DPR 71-50. China bt Chinese Taipei 102-63. Group B: Australia bt Philippines 107-65. Japan bt South Korea 70-56. Division B: Division B: Group A: Uzbekistan bt Sri Lanka 78-39. Group B: Lebanon bt Fiji 90-48. Kazakhstan bt Singapore 73-52.