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The 13th South Asian Games is set to commence from 1st December and will conclude on 10th December 2019 at Kathmandu-Pokhara, Nepal. Kabaddi was introduced as a part of the South Asian Games back in 1985, and since then, India have won the gold medal in all the editions thus far.
The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) recently announced 48 names for the men's coaching camp, which is currently taking place at SAI NBA (Rohtak, Haryana) and will go on till 26th November. Siddharth Desai, Maninder Singh, Surjeet Singh, and former Indian captain Ajay Thakur were some prominent names missing from the list of the probables.
Many Pro Kabaddi stars such as Pardeep Narwal, Pawan Sehrawat, and Nitesh Kumar made it to the list of probables this year, and the Indian Kabaddi team is bound to wear a fresh look, with many youngsters set to form the core unit of the side.
Over the past year, there are quite a few players who have put in consistent performances, either in the Pro Kabaddi League or Senior Nationals, and could be the frontrunners to earn a spot in the final squad.
On that note, we take a look at the top three names who could earn a maiden national team call-up for the 2019 South Asian Games.
#3 Parvesh Bhainswal
Left cover Parvesh Bhainswal has been a rock-solid defender in the Pro Kabaddi League after shifting to Gujarat Fortune Giants in season 5. He has been resourceful with his blocks and is known for his combination tackles along with Sunil Kumar.
The lethal duo of Parvesh and Sunil scored 108 tackle points in PKL 6, taking the Gujarat Fortune Giants to the finals in their maiden season. Parvesh Bhainswal scored 86 tackle points at an average of 3.28 tackle points per game, and he finished as the Fortune Giants' best defender from the season.
From PKL 7, Parvesh picked up 55 tackle points as the top scorer from Gujarat yet again. He had a successful campaign with the Indian Railways, where his team won the gold medal at the 66th Senior Nationals and the Federation Cup, held earlier this year.
Parvesh Bhainswal could be a perfect fit in India's empty slot in the left cover defense. The team has had issues in the past, as they have had to force Deepak Niwas Hooda (not a full-time defender) to play as the left cover of the team. Parvesh's addition would strengthen the team as the Indian Kabaddi team would look to get back to winning ways.
#2 Vikash Kandola
Vikash Kandola has been a consistent performer for Haryana Steelers as their leading raid points scorer in the Pro Kabaddi. A promising raider with his varied skill set, Kandola has featured in the Top 10 raiders list of season 6 and season 7.
His ability to raid against a fully stacked defensive unit and score crucial bonus points has made him one of the trickiest raiders in the league. Vikas is an agile player who uses running hand touches and escapes with precision.
With 423 raid points in 55 matches, Vikash has 17 Super-10s in the league at an average of 7.69 raid points per game. Vikash was also the part of the Indian Railways team that won the gold medal at 66th Senior Nationals and 2019 Federation Cup.
Vikash Kandola could be a perfect fit, whether it be leading from the front or playing as a support raider. His versatility in the offense can prove to be vital in the Indian Kabaddi team, and deserves a call-up to the squad for South Asian Games 2019.
#1 Naveen Kumar Goyat
19-year-old Naveen Kumar broke records in the seventh season of Pro Kabaddi when he single-handedly took Dabang Delhi K.C. to the finals. The youngster went on to score 21 consecutive Super 10s (total 22 Super-10s) and displayed consistency in his offense.
Naveen made his debut in Season 6 when he scored 172 raid points and took Dabang Delhi to the playoffs for the first time in history. In the next season, Naveen went on to score 301 raid points at an outstanding average of 13.08 raid points per match. He was also rightly named as the 'Most Valuable Player of the Tournament' in the recently-concluded seventh season.
An expert in the running hand touches, Naveen Kumar has achieved and broken many records in just two seasons of PKL. Representing Services in the Nationals, he has been a dependable raider throughout the last two seasons. He could become India's key player in the future as he is bound to earn a call-up to the national side for the 2019 South Asian Games.
