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After a triumphant run in the Dubai Kabaddi Masters 2018, it was finally proven that there is no competition versus India when it comes to the game of the soil, kabaddi. In the first week of July, the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India announced a 12-member men's squad for the upcoming Jakarta Asian Games 2018 which came as a surprise to many around India.
The exclusion of big match players such as Manjeet Chhillar, PO Surjeet Singh and Surender Nada raised many eyebrows. Here is a look at the team which will be chasing their eighth gold medal starting August 19!
Raiders
• Ajay Thakur (Captain)
• Rishank Devadiga
• Monu Goyat
• Rohit Kumar
• Pardeep Narwal
• Rahul Chaudhari
• Gangadhari Mallesh
India is the frontline nation when it comes to producing top class raiders and this time too, the selection committee has selected a raider-dominated squad similar to what was picked at the Kabaddi Masters.
Ajay Thakur will not only lead the whole team but also will play the primary role in the raiding unit. Having been tackled only thrice in the entire tournament, Ajay scored 34 raid points in 50 raids in Dubai with his amazing lengthy reach to the midline and swift escapes.
It is going to be a tough call to choose raiders who'll enter the fray with Ajay. A leader in his own prime, Rishank Devadiga had 13 raid points versus Kenya and Rohit Kumar with a unique persona scored the match-winning 6 raid points in the opening encounter versus Pakistan in Dubai.
Monu Goyat was the find of the tournament scoring 28 raid points in 40 raids with smart raiding improvisation over normal moves such as the running hand touch. Having lost their forms a bit, Pardeep Narwal and Rahul Chaudhari will be eyeing to get back to winning ways. It will be a suspense on how the team will use Gangadhari Mallesh to his raiding services after a successful inaugural season run with the Jaipur Pink Panthers.
Overall, India has no worries about its raiding. Different combinations will be implemented in accordance with the conditions and so fine class raiding is assured.
Defenders
• Girish Maruti Ernak
• Mohit Chhillar
• Raju Lal Chaudhary
India have stepped up and included only three frontline defenders with the exclusion of Surjeet and Surender. It is highly certain that the corners' duo will be led by Girish Ernak and Mohit Chhillar.
After a successful victory run with Maharashtra, we saw how Girish has stepped up his game with precise ankle holds and accurate body blocks. He announced his arrival scoring 19 tackle points with 2 high 5s in Kabaddi Masters; he is most likely to play from the left corner during the entire phase.
His opposite corner will be held by one of the masters of chain tackles, an experienced PKL campaigner Mohit Chhillar who'll play the right corner. Raju Lal Chaudhari will be acting as a replacement if one of the defenders lose their momentum which is unlikely to happen.
It will be a bedrock corner defence which will bring shivers down the opposition raiders once the 30-second timer begins.
All Rounders
• Deepak Niwas Hooda
• Sandeep Narwal
The selection committee has picked two all-time greats of Pro Kabaddi League who'll be playing the covers positions at the Jakarta Asian Games.
Excluding the all-time experience of Manjeet Chhillar, Deepak Hooda will take the charge on the left cover. He doesn't defend usually but the frontal block over Mohammad Nabibaksh at the Dubai Kabaddi Masters finals was something special. The team will look to use Deepak's defending capability which isn't a sight viewed often.
Sandeep Narwal, who is a versatile player, is going to take the right cover position. It is going to be a marvellous view of seeing the beast dashing the opposition raiders like a truck.
The roles of all-rounders are different from what they normally do on the mat. But this innovative thinking can possibly bring India their gold.
