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Indian kabaddi team's star all-rounder Deepak Niwas Hooda believes that the absence of top defenders like Surender Nada, Surjeet Singh and Manjeet Chhillar would not affect the Men in Blue, as they have enough quality and depth in their squad.
Both Surender and Surjeet are considered to the two of the best defenders in the country at the moment, and they proved just that when then notched up the highest number of tackle points (81 and 76 respectively) in the 2017 edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.
To add to that, Surjeet also proved his worth to the team during the Kabaddi Masters in Dubai last month, when he scored a whopping seven tackle points in the final against Iran. Despite these performances, the duo, along with veteran Manjeet Chhillar, have been dropped from the Indian squad for the Asian Games.
However, Deepak Hooda believes that despite the absence of these three top defenders, India still have more than a good chance at the Asian Games in Jakarta. Speaking at the 'Raid for Gold' event in New Delhi, Deepak said, "As far as our defence goes, we have Girish on the left corner. He's in tremendous form right now. I myself have been playing left-cover.
"There's no lack of quality in the team's defence. Players come and go, but the team remains the same. Today, I'm a part of the team," said Deepak. "But tomorrow, perhaps some younger player will take my place. All we want to do is to win gold for India at the Asian Games."
The dual role
Having scored 186 points for Puneri Paltan last season, Deepak has marked himself as one of the best raiders in India. However, coach Srinivas Reddy already has a number of top talents like Pardeep Narwal, Monu Goyat, Rishank Devadiga, Rahul Chaudhari and captain Ajay Thakur in his ranks. This is where Deepak's defensive abilities give him the edge during squad selection.
"All year round, I play as the main raider. But when I play for India, I have to play a primarily defensive role. So the responsibilities change a lot," he said.
Being an all-rounder, Deepak often does not get much rest, as he has to practice with both the raiders and the defenders, during the national camps.
"It's not easy for me during the national camps. I first train with the raiders. Then, when the raiders take a bit of rest and the defenders take to the mat, I train with them as well," said Deepak.
"So I can play as a defender for the national team, and if our main raiders are out, then I can step in and go on the raids myself. This also helps give balance to the team, as we can have four raiders, instead of three," he further said.
India have been one of the most dominant teams in kabaddi so far, having won gold at the Asian Games so far, having won gold on all seven occasions, since the sport was introduced to the Games in 1990.
With the national kabaddi side looking as strong as ever, the likes of Deepak Hooda and co will be looking to go all the win an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal, a feat that is yet to be achieved by any country in any sport at the Asian Games.
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