What’s the story?
The Punjab Royals entered the finals of the Pro Wrestling League but it was Baba Ramdev who stole the show in front of a packed crowd at the KD Jadhav Wrestling Hall in Delhi.
The yoga guru-cum-entrepreneur, whose company Patanjali is a sponsor of the league, took on Russian grappler Andrey Stadnik, who won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, where he beat Sushil Kumar as well, in a friendly bout.
"Wrestling is a part of our culture and heritage, and has been played since the times of the Mahabharata and Ramayana," said Ramdev before his bout.
He recorded a fine 12-0 win as well, impressing the audience with his flexibility and strength. "I hope wrestling will become the world's biggest sport one day!" he said after the match. He added, "It is with sports such as wrestling that the youth of our country will become great and as a result, our country will become great."
In case you didn’t know...
Stadnik claimed the silver medal in the 2008 Olympics, beating Indian hopeful Sushil Kumar in the process. Since he went on to reach the finals, Sushil got an opportunity in repechage to fight for a bronze medal and he duly obliged.
Baba Ramdev, meanwhile, claimed to have wrestled against national level wrestlers prior to the bout, stating that the power of yoga would truly come to the fore during the fight.
The heart of the matter
Ramdev blessed his Russian opponent before the match and within 30 seconds, he opened up a four-point lead with a takedown. It was evident that Stadnik was taking it easy, but the yoga guru kept on attacking and captured his rival with an attack on his right leg.
He soon doubled his lead after the one-minute mark, extending it to 8-0. Eight soon became ten, which 20 seconds later became 12-0. The referee called play to a halt at the 2:27 mark, bringing the bout to a close as both grapplers embraced each other.
What’s next?
It might have been in friendly spirit, but Ramdev impressed with his skill and power. He was cheered on loudly by the capacity crowd as they joined him in the post-match 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' chants.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The loudest cheers were reserved for Ramdev and his bout, showing what an icon he is. Such exhibition displays are important in engaging more people with the sport. He has encouraged people to take up physical activity and keep themselves fit, which is very important for a young nation such as ours.
