#3 Ajay Thakur – India and Puneri Paltan
Cometh the global stage, cometh the old star Ajay Thakur. The 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in India saw the rebirth and rise of the tall, lanky raider Ajay Thakur. “Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee,” those who have seen Ajay Thakur in action at the World Cup can vouch for this, but this was not the case in the last two editions of the Pro Kabaddi League wherein defenders found it very easy to trap him.
Having scored 122 and 79 raid points in the first two seasons, Thakur managed only 52 and 63 in the last two. Despite having to settle for the bench in Pro Kabaddi, Thakur did make it to the World Cup squad in terms of talent and legacy; and rightly so, for he seemed like an all-together different player when donning the Indian jersey.
He finished as the best raider in the tournament with 64 raid points, ripping the opposing defence apart on many occasions. Time and again he rescued his side from tight situations and put India on the pinnacle of world kabaddi once again in the capacity of a match-winner. With 5 Super 10’s, including one in the final match against Iran, he scripted his fairy-tale comeback.
