Verma, 28, calls himself teenager in front of his experienced teamates

Vinayak Padmadeo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 6

Abhishek Verma has bucked the trend when it comes to Indian shooting sport. Unlike Saurabh Chaudhary, Manu Bhaker who began training in their early teens, Verma is a late bloomer. The 30-year-old lawyer has started to catch up on his teen compatriots as Rio World Cup gold medal was his second this year. Verma opens up to The Tribune and calls himself a teenager compared to Saurabh and others as he has picked up the sport only in the last two years. 

Excerpts:

You are relatively a newcomer as compared to others in the team. How do you see your career’s progress in this short time?

I am new to shooting as compared to others in the Indian team but I have worked very hard to reach here. It is very hard to break into the Indian team. Staying there and maintaining your position is even harder. So, now I need to work all the more hard to stay in the team.

So in terms of your experience, you are a teenager in this sport?

Yes you can say that. I started to take this sport seriously only two years back and I am new to this sport compared to others. If you look at Apurvi Chandela or look at Sanjeev bhaiya (Rajput) and compare my experience with them… Jakarta Asian Games was my first big event and this is my first year shooting in the World Cup circuit while they have been around for years.

What is the latest thing you have learned from them?

About how to keep calm and composed during a match. My scores in some of the tournament like at the Delhi World Cup were fluctuating. Suppose I get a 98, 99 in the two series then I would slide down. Now, I know that it was down to me not being calm. I am working on it and scores have improved.

In the ISSF World Cup in Rio de Janeiro you finished above Saurabh?

We sometimes place bets and whoever shoots well wins it. This also helps us in simulating pressure situation during the competition.

Who won the last bet?

The last bet I placed was against Yashaswini Singh Deswal during the Rio World Cup. I won it. We had to take 10-12 shots against each other and I beat her only just.

Amazon fires came very close near the shooting range during the World Cup. Was there a panic situation?

We got to know that about the forest fires in Brazil only. We were apprehensive as smoke would have affected our breathing and our shooting. There was a hillock inside the range which caught fire during the competition. The organisers put out the fire in a couple of hours. The competitors at the 10m range weren’t affected as it was indoors but there must have been smoke in the 50m range as it is open. 

Being disconnected with Saurabh secret of our success: Manu 

New Delhi: Communication is a key aspect in team sports but Manu Bhaker believes that remaining “disconnected” with partner Saurabh Chaudhary has been the key to their golden run in four successive World Cups. “We are not very connected. We are two very different things (individuals),” the 17-year-old Manu said when asked about her recipe of success. The two won their fourth mixed World Cup gold in Rio de Janeiro last week. At 17, one is free from fear of failure, which is a common thread binding the teenaged duo as they simply like to concentrate on their individual performances. “We don’t talk much. We are both on our own. We just focus on our individual performance. He doesn’t give much thought on my performance and neither do I think about his. I think that makes us fearless and we shoot for ourselves and perhaps because of that, we are doing well,” Manu explained. — PTI