Meet Sayali Gudhekar, India's first female water polo coach

A trained Bharatnatayam dancer, a lead UI/UX designer with a leading MNC and India’s first female water polo coach, Sayali Gudhekar wears multiple hats.

Sayali was only 14 when she captained the Indian team for the first time. She demonstrated passion and leadership from a young age and the recently concluded Indo-Sri Lanka Championship in Sri Lanka, was her first stint as India’s first female coach. Her team won the series with a clean sweep over Sri Lanka.

Her transition from a player to a coach has been emotionally empowering and Sayali couldn’t agree more. In an exclusive conversation with The Bridge, Sayali shares her journey and plans ahead. Excerpts:

Congratulations! Your U-21 women’s team had a clean sweep in Sri Lanka. Please take us through your experience.

It was an incredible journey. From Day 1, the team showed commitment, energy to go ahead. Every match was a testament to their preparation. They had the hunger to win and as we know that it was a clean sweep.

We had prepared well for the tri series. We had a month-long camp at SAI Bangalore. We had to make sure that we were going all out. There's no mercy. It’s water polo, one of the toughest sports. So, yeah, we went all out and played well. The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) is helping us get good exposure with camps, international matches and other facilities. All in all it was a good journey.

This was your first stint as a water polo coach, making you the first female water polo coach in India. What does it feel like to begin your coaching career successfully on foreign soil?

Watching my team rise to this occasion, stay composed under pressure and clinch the gold was one of the most rewarding moments of my coaching career.

You have been an active player yourself, having led the Indian water polo team for a long time. How has the transition been?

I would say the transition has been emotionally empowering. From representing India as a young player to now mentoring the next generation, it feels like a full circle. And being the first female coach comes with a lot of responsibility. But it also opens doors for more women to step into leadership roles in this arena.

Water polo is a very male dominant sport and you have to pave your own path and make your own way. And I’m here for it.

You said water polo is a tough sport. What makes it a tough sport?

Water polo is a team sport and a very close contact sport. So, there are times when players pick up injuries in the water. To avoid that, we need to prepare ourselves on land. There are different strategies and tactics to play in each position. A center fullback training is different from that of a winger. Attacking tactics are different. Defensive tactics are different to keep us safe from injury.

We had an unfortunate incident in Sri Lanka, where our second best player tore the webbing of her finger that needed stitching. But despite that, the team didn’t panic and performed. So, these are the scenarios that you come up with.

Share with us your journey and the challenges?

I was 13 or 14 when I began playing water polo. That was the time when the visibility of the sport, especially for women, was not that much. It wasn't easy. Even I have faced a lot of setbacks with injuries and the usual resistance that women often encountered in any contact sports. But there were highs too like captaining India, winning medals at senior nationals, junior nationals and national games and now coaching the under 21 team to international success. The journey has been tough but every challenge is built by resilience.

Water polo being a male dominant sport, what made you stay true to the sport?

The first thing that comes to my mind is only passion. I have always been passionate about water polo and the belief that water polo in India, especially for women, deserves more attention. Each setback made me stronger and every little win, personal or my teams, kept me going. I knew I had to give more not just as a player but as a mentor or a builder of the sport. I am associated with the Greater Mumbai Amateur Aquatics Association (GMAAA) as a vice president to provide a platform to young and budding players. It's an honorary work.

What are your long-term and short-term goals?

In the short term, I want to create more exposure for our women athletes and prepare them to perform consistently at international tournaments. I aim to establish a stronger pipeline of talent through grassroots level and programs to see India being recognized as a competitive water polo nation globally.

What message would you give to someone trying their hands at water polo for the first time?

Go for it. It's a game that challenges your body, sharpens your mind and it builds that unbelievable teamwork. Keep fighting till the last minute. It might be tough at first but with training, holding the ball, swimming with the ball, you have to shoot, you have to make plays for scoring. You have to think two steps forward and once you get hooked there's no turning back. Water polo truly shapes the character like no other sport. It shaped me well so I'm really happy water polo chose me.

Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions that you believe in before going in for a match?

I think every sports person has it and so do I. I always take a quiet moment before the match, close my eyes and visualize. I like to cut off from social media or any kind of distractions or phone calls and just be into the moment. I believe, if it's done in the mind then it’s already aligned with your body. You know what you’re doing and just stay positive and let the whole team feel that positivity.

Do you feel more responsible as a coach than when you were a player?

Yes, definitely because as a coach I'm answerable to everyone. If the team loses, I would say it’s because of me but when the team wins, it's always because of everyone’s hard work. It’s a bigger responsibility right from training, planning schedules, to seeing who’s well, who’s not and it’s everything that falls under one rule.

How different is the coaching approach now?

I started with Parsi Hakeem (Parsi sir). He’s no more. He followed a very traditional approach but gave us the best in his capacity. Not just as a player he also pushed me into coaching at my club level. I remember one time he was in the US, I just had one and a half months to train my boys because our pool was under renovation and we were practicing at another pool. We won that tournament against defending champions. He said Sayali, I'm very proud of you and this is your journey. That's how he pushed me so I'm grateful for it.

Your husband Arjun Kawle is also a professional water polo player. How does that help?

He plays for the Western Railway. He is one of the best center forwards India has. Coming back to the team I was playing, he was the coach. I was playing against his team. I was nervous as it was my first stint as coach and his team was champion for two years. It was like a healthy rivalry. I am proud of that.

What are the plans from here?

The focus is now on the senior team. We have Asian Championships in October in Ahmedabad. Most of the junior players will be in the senior camp. The life for players is very short in Indian water polo especially for women. The first phase of camp got over in April, now we have a second and third phase coming up. The second phase is before the Senior Nationals.

Why do you say the life of a women’s water polo player is shorter?

We don't have opportunities. Male players have jobs, they have other options. But for women, we can only represent club teams. There are no professional teams. There is a police team but with very limited options and hence everybody pursues their studies.

What do you do when not playing water polo?

I'm a lead UI/UX designer with Accenture. In my teens I did my MFA and BFA in Bharatnatayam. Dance and water polo have always been my passion. Then, when you grow up, you choose.