Khelo India University Games 2021 great opportunity for players to get exposure: Basketball star Sahaj Patel

India basketball star Sahaj Patel is geared up for the 2nd edition of Khelo India University Games 2021 which are set to begin on April 23 in Bengaluru.

Hailing from the Haridham Shokhda village in Baroda, the 26-year-old Sahaj has represented India at two major international tournaments. He made his India debut in December at the South Asian Games in Nepal, followed by another appearance at the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Bahrain in 2021.

Sahaj is set to feature for Jain University's men's basketball team at the upcoming Khelo India University Games and believes his experience at the international level will help him in the tournament.

"I am really excited to participate at the upcoming Games as it will be a great opportunity for me to play alongside some of the best players from across the country. With my experience of playing for India, I can help my team in understanding the importance of playing as a single unit and can also keep them motivated if things do not work out for us in a match," Sahaj said.

"I will be sharing all the experience that I have garnered over the years with the young players in the team and can also show them some strategies that I learned at the international level," he added.

Jain University's men's basketball team line-up is the vastly experienced head coach G.R.L. Prasad. The former India men's basketball team head coach, who led India to the 2015 SABA Championship and also travelled with the team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, has already helped his team in earning major plaudits.

Under his guidance, Jain University won a bronze medal in the All-India University women's Basketball Championship in Murthal, Haryana in March. The Jain University Men's Basketball Team also won the NITK Basketball Championship 2022, under his tutelage, last month. And now, the team under Coach Prasad are touted to be the favourites at the Khelo India University Games 2021.

Speaking about training under a man of such stature, Sahaj said he is learning a lot from him. "It has been great training alongside Prasad Sir. He really understands the game and teach us how to play as a team. He has given us very good training sessions and it is a pleasure learning from him," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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