Ashwal Rai, who is leading Kolkata Thunderbolts in the upcoming Prime Volleyball League, believes ace cricketers like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul can be very good volleyball players.
"I think MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, and KL Rahul would make very good volleyball players. Dhoni and Pandya can do passing and Rahul can do attack. There was a video of them playing beach volleyball in Dubai, we would feel good if we get a chance to play volleyball with them," Ashwal told ANI.
The Prime Volleyball League will get underway on Saturday, February 5 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad with hosts Hyderabad Black Hawks taking on the mighty Kochi Blue Spikers in the opening fixture.
The tournament will consist of a total of 24 matches spread over a course of 23 days, with the final on February 27.
Each of the seven franchises - Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Ahmedabad Defenders, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes, and Kolkata Thunderbolts - will play a single round-robin before the top four teams in the league stage qualify for the semi-finals.
"For all the players, this is the right kind of platform to show their skills and performance. Earlier, I did not follow sports much and then I grew up, I started following cricket and football. There is no particular athlete I look up to, I strive for excellence every time I go out to play," said Ashwal.
