'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What’s the story?
Veteran Indian kabaddi player, Ajay Thakur reaped the rewards of his scintillating performance in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup final against Iran, as he was nominated for the Play of the year: Game changer moment award under the aegis of Indian Sports Honours award founded by RP-SG group in partnership with Virat Kohli foundation.
In case you didn’t know
India were trailing in the first half of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup final against Iran but then Thakur stepped up to finish on 11 raid points as the hosts won 38-29 on the big day. The man who had a disastrous injury-plagued Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) campaign, before the world cup, now gets a nomination for this masterclass.
The heart of the matter
This award is aimed at recognizing out of the box efforts by individual sportspersons, which changed the outcome of the respective games in which they featured.
Alongside Thakur, badminton ace PV Sindhu was chosen for her thrilling three-game win against Nozomi Okuhara at the Korea Open Super Series in September.
Cricketer Jasprit Bumrah is the next on the list. He gave away just two runs while defending eight off the final six balls against England in a T20I, played in January.
And Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri rounds off the list with his wonder strike in the AFC?Asian Cup qualifier against the Kyrgyz Republic in June.
What next?
The fans can vote for this award by following the procedure which is mentioned in the post below. The winner will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Mumbai on November 11.
Author’s take
While it’s very difficult to single out one particular moment as all four athletes performed unimaginably on the above-mentioned dates, but Thakur’s single-handed effort to retain the Kabaddi World Cup for India, has to be an inch ahead of the rest.
If the super raider ends up winning the silverware, then it will be a superb gift for his contribution towards Indian kabaddi.
