Chandigarh handball player appointed captain of Indian team

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, April 25

Local handball player Atul Kumar, who is a Junior Warrant Officer in the Indian Air Force, has been appointed as the captain of the Indian handball team for the 2023 International Handball Federation (IHF) Emerging Nations Championship.

The championship began at Bulgaria today and the Indian team will play their opening match on April 26 against Andorra, followed by their second match against Malta on April 27. Both matches are scheduled to take place at Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna.

The 32-year-old goalie is the only player from Chandigarh to be included in the squad. He joined the Indian Air Force as a Junior Warrant Officer in 2012 and is playing handball for the past 17 years now. Last year, he captained the Indian side for the 20th Asian Handball Championship, held at Dammam (Saudi Arabia). Earlier, he also remained the vice-captain of the Indian side in the main international events.

He made his international debut in the 3rd South Asian Men Handball Championship, Noida (2014). The Indian team had won a gold medal in this championship. In the same year, he played in the 17th Asian Games, Incheon (South Korea).

After a gap of two years, he was included in the Indian team, which later won the gold medal in the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati. He also participated in the 20th Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship in Hyderabad. In 2018, he played in the 18th Asian Men’s Handball Championship in Suwon (South Korea). He was vice-captain of the Indian team in the 18th Asian Games, Jakarta.

Big achievement for me

I have been representing the nation since 2013 and it’s a big achievement for me. I am hopeful that our team will win laurels in this Emerging Nations Championship event and qualify for the knock-out stage. — Atul Kumar