Rohit Bose Roy: People think pickleball is an easy sport and end up injuring themselves

Pickleball has gained popularity in cities, especially among fitness buffs. Rohit Bose Roy, a state-level table tennis player and badminton enthusiast, quickly took to the sport. However, what he didn’t expect was that he would land in a bit of a pickle! While chasing a lob (a high-arching shot), he ended up twisting his ankle badly.Recounting his injury, he shares, “I was chasing a lob and had to sprint backwards, but the court was uneven, and there was a hidden water gutter covered by grass near the boundary. I stepped into it and sprained my ankle badly.” Rohit points out how players are overlooking certain precautions because they assume that the sport doesn’t require training.
‘Makeshift pickleball courts are popping up everywhere’
To avoid such mishaps, he advises players to invest in proper training, well-maintained courts, and suitable footwear. He says, “With the surge in the sport’s popularity, makeshift pickleball courts are popping up everywhere with uneven ground. The most common injuries in pickleball worldwide are heel injuries, because players wear unsuitable shoes on cement courts.”
He further stresses the importance of proper training. Rohit, who encouraged his wife, actress Manasi Joshi, to enrol in pickleball training, says, “How can you expect to excel in any sport without training? In my pickleball WhatsApp group, barely 10-20 per cent of the members have received training. People have to realise that it’s not just about returning the ball; it’s about playing without getting injured.”
On the work front, Rohit has been making headlines for being roped in for the second season of the iconic show Swabhimaan, which marked his debut on Indian television and made him a household name as Rishabh Malhotra. The first season aired between 1995 and 1998. His last fiction outing was as Vardhan Makhija in Sanjivani, a medical drama that also featured Surbhi Chandna, Namit Khanna, Mohnish Bahl, Gurdeep Kohli, and Gaurav Chopra.