National women's captain, Geethu Anna Jose started off her sporting career as a high jumper

As an 11-year-old, Geethu Anna Jose tagged alongside her sister as the two made their way to the athletics centre at Mt Carmel High School in Kottayam, Kerala every evening. Geethu watched her sister sweat it out on the track and field. Predictably, it wasn't long before she gave in to the temptation of wearing some athletic gear herself, trying to emulate her older sibling.

However, what wasn't predictable then was that five years later, Geethu would represent her country in a sport that hardly resembles athletics — basketball. Geethu, 23, today is India's women's captain. She has even played for Ringwood Hawks, an Australian professional basketball league team.

So how did the life-script of this high jump sub-junior district champion take such a drastic turn? "I was about 5feet 10 inches tall when I was 11. It didn't take me long to become the sub-junior district level champion," Geethu said on the sidelines of the ongoing Ramu Memorial Basketball meet at the Indian Gymkhana on Monday.

"But due to some administrative complications, I couldn't participate in the state competitions that I had been selected for. So, I was disappointed. There was also a dearth of good coaches for athletics, so I gave up," the 6 feet 2-inch centre player said adding, "At the same time, a lot of my family members and school teachers encouraged me to take up basketball because I was especially tall for my age. I agreed."

Then on, the journey was smooth. While most beginners take a year to learn the game on an average, Geethu took just one month when she began at the age of 13. "On the first day of my training, my coach made me run so much that I had decided to give up! I didn't go to the court for two days. After a lot of convincing and persuasion, I returned and it's good that I stuck on," Geethu quipped.

It's certainly good. It's not every other day that India produces a woman player who goes on to play for a team in the Australian professional league.

Gayatri Parameswaran/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication