Never say never: Romaana Sabzeh

Hyderabad-based handball player Romaana Sabzeh, who represented India as goalkeeper and centre-forward in Sweden, Spain, Germany and France is currently getting rehabilitated after a road accident from multiple fractures. In a freewheeling chat the youngster shares about her stint in handball and her path to recovery…

Excerpts from the interview:

Handball is not a very common sport. How did you take this up?
I started playing handball as soon as I joined college. I was always interested in playing sports and learning new techniques. As soon as I found out about handball I started doing my research and thought I should give it a shot and after that there was no turning back. After representing India in four countries I'm so glad I went out of my comfort zone and decided to try a sport that is so underrated in our country.

Mention your achievements and tournaments that you have played in.
I have represented my college, district and state in various handball tournaments. For two years, I also represented India and was the official Indian goalkeeper for all the matches that were played in Sweden, Spain, Germany and France. I have represented India as the goalkeeper in the Granollers Cup 2015 and 2016 in Spain and in the Partille Cup 2015 and 2016 in Sweden. I have also represented India in the Lubeck Cup 2015 and 2016 in Germany both as goalkeeper and Centre-Forward.

Is playing abroad different from playing tournaments in India?
Playing abroad is very different from playing in India. People in other countries have a lot more exposure to different sports. In India, we worship only one sport and all other sports are kept on the back burner. There are a lot more challenges that we face when we are not playing on our home ground. However, every player and all sport activities are welcomed in other countries and India has a long way to go to get to that stage.

Is your family supportive of your choice?
I have been grateful to have understanding and accepting parents. My parents knew that I was never going to accept being a mediocre child and I had to do something that would bring out the best in me. As long as I maintain a balance between my education and playing; my parents do not mind this way of life one bit.

Is training for this sport difficult? Detail your diet and fitness when you are training.
A: I used to train 5-6 hours a day even during my summer break. The training would start at 6 am and end usually by lunch. I wouldn't say training is difficult but you need to work hard to achieve certain goals. My diet would be home cooked meals and a cheat day every Sunday which almost always comprised of fast food.

Tell us about yourself?
My parents are both from Mumbai but I was born and brought up in Hyderabad. I shuffle between living in Mumbai and Hyderabad. I completed my schooling from Nasr and completed my graduation in economics from St Francis.

Injury can sideline the best of players. Tell us about your injury. Are you planning a comeback?
I was selected to represent India for yet another time before my accident. I met with an accident a month before leaving for my league. I was hospitalised for a couple of days and I found out that I had a fractured knee, a fractured ankle and a broken elbow. This incident was absolutely heartbreaking, not specifically the physical pain but emotionally. The timing was very bad and I had to back out of the tournament. I still have difficulties running and doing other activities. I would love to plan a comeback but my body is just not ready for it. But, I have learnt to never say never and believe in miracles.