Pune’s basketball moms script fairytale comeback

The six — Arnika Patil,Sajida Bagwan,Gopika Kachare,Mithila Gujar,Kajal Ambedkar and Rekha Nanelu — had been part of the Maharashtra state team in the past,and their last game together was almost 15 years ago.

Their understanding on court had created strong bonds of friendship that had lasted over the years,and the decision to play “one final tournament” was made when they met at a local coffee house a month ago.

“We were swapping stories about the past and we realised just how much we missed playing together. That gave us the hunger to play one final tournament,a kind of a reunion,” said Sajida Bagwan,a 35-year-old mother of two who runs a basketball clinic in Pune.

“We took two weeks off from our regular schedules,and practised sincerely on the courts of Anandban Club,” said Kajal Ambedkar,a 35-year-old mother who is Director of Translations at BITS Private Limited.

Days before the tournament,however,they were rejected by their local Pune team for being over the hill. They turned to Ahmednagar,who took them in the squad.

Then began a string of unbelievable victories. The team started with easy wins over Hingoli,Nagpur,and formidable Mumbai,and finally had their revenge over Pune,beating them 92-56 in the semifinal. The Railways team — India’s best team with several international stars — were a level above,however,beating this rejigged unit by 10 points to win the title.

The tournament was also a homecoming of sorts for Bagwan,Ambedkar,Patil and her younger sister Mithila Gujar,who all hail from the host district of Satara. Patil,who played for India at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Sydney,said this made the event extra special. “People from the crowd recognised us. We had a lot of local support. This motivated us a lot,” she said.

But Nanelu,also 35,pointed out when a team with an average age of 32 can reach the final of the tournament,it shows how the standard of basketball in Maharashtra has fallen over the years. “We came across teams that didn’t even know the basic rules of the game,” she said.

The six are now hoping their performance will serve as a reminder of how the sport has declined,and propel the local association to help raise the bar again.