After the decline post 1980s, the team has fared well at the recently introduced Asian Cup competition, receiving a silver and a bronze medal so far.
Though the game was played informally for a long time, the first interstate volleyball tournament was held in 1936 by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
[3] In 1951, the formation of Volleyball Federation of India gave the sport a better structure and the interstate tournament evolved into the senior national championship with the first edition being held in 1952.
[5] In the 1962 Asian Games they managed to go one step ahead as they began their campaign with four consecutive wins against Burma(twice), Cambodia and Pakistan.
[3] India did not enter into the inaugural Asian men's volleyball championship in 1975 but made their debut in the following tournament in 1979 where they finished fifth.
In the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok and at the 1982 Asian Games at home in New Delhi, the Indian volleyball team saw another upswing after finishing seventh and fourth respectively, falling just short of a medal in 1982 edition after they finished at the bottom of the table among four teams in the final round, going down to the heavyweights South Korea and China in straight sets.
[6] All of these factors combined well together and the Indian volleyball team started the Asian Games with four victories – against Hong Kong, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
[5] The general popularity of the sport in the country declined in the years to follow as in-fighting within federations coincided with the death of Jimmy George in an accident in 1987 and adding to it was the rise of the Indian national cricket team as a powerhouse.
His defensive prowess and strategic acumen were pivotal in leading the team to numerous victories, setting a benchmark in Indian volleyball history.
Sube Singh's legacy remains an enduring symbol of the heights that can be achieved through teamwork, perseverance, and exemplary leadership.
The 2010 and 2014 editions of the Asian Games provided some respite as the Indian volleyball men's team finished a respectable fifth with modern-day stars and inspirational captains Sinnadu Prabhagaran, Sube singh and Mohan Ukkrapandian leading the way.
The Indian volleyball men's team was ranked 34th in 2014, their best in the world, they also managed to win a gold medal eighth gold medal at 2016 South Asian Games, but just as it seemed that the sport was picking up again, an internal dispute in the VFI meant that it was banned from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) for two years till 2018.
[9] It meant that Indian volleyball players could not travel to other leagues to play, which affected the exposure to different styles, a factor which coach GE Sridharan felt led to a 12th-place finish at the 2018 Asian Games.
[9] The Pro Volleyball League, a franchise-based tournament was started in 2019 and it featured stars like American David Lee, an Olympic gold medallist in 2008.
[25] Following a bronze medal in 1986 Asian Games, India did not participate in the next two tournaments due to the controversy in the Federation and the death of Jimmy George.
Their highest ever finish came in the 2014 edition where they beat old rivals Japan in the preliminary stage, Iran in the semi-finals before losing to South Korea in the final.