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The Haryana Steelers grabbed fans' attention before the start of PKL 10 when they announced Jaideep Dahiya and Mohit Nandal as co-captains of their team. Generally, a franchise prefers to have one captain and one vice-captain, but Haryana opted to have two players as leaders.
So far, the Haryana Steelers have performed well under their two co-captains. The team holds fifth position in the standings, having recorded eight wins from 15 matches. The Steelers also have their home leg ahead in the league round.
Sportskeeda caught up with Haryana Steelers' Jaideep Dahiya for an exclusive chat, where he shed light on co-captaincy, coach Manpreet Singh, his journey and his goal to play for India. Here are the excerpts:
Excerpts from Jaideep Dahiya's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda
Q. Talking about the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League season first, what are your views on the team's performance?
Jaideep Dahiya: The season is going good so far. There will be ups and downs in the sport of kabaddi. Sometimes we may lose matches, sometimes we may build a winning streak.
Q. How does co-captaincy work in a sport like kabaddi where you have to make quick decisions?
Jaideep Dahiya: It is going well. Sometimes you have to be the first to do something. If it does well, you never know even others may try the same. We have experience. Also, we have a good combination. So, whatever the plan coach gives to us, I and Mohit try to execute it on the mat.
I give my views. He gives his opinion. Then, whichever is the better plan, we try to implement it on the mat.
Q. Whose idea was it to have two co-captains?
Jaideep Dahiya: Our management and coach sir decided it together that we should have two co-captains this season.
Q. You are co-captain with Mohit Nandal, with senior players like Siddharth Desai and Chandran Ranjit playing under you. How does it feel to be their captain?
Jaideep Dahiya: We have gained experience by playing under coaches and even the senior players with us. We try to gain as much experience as possible. Also, we have some juniors and we try to share our experience with them.
We have seniors like Desai and Prapanjan in the squad. We take advice from them because they are seniors and have a lot of experience. All of us make a plan, it includes the captains, coaches and the players also.
Q. Rahul Sethpal has had a great season in PKL 10. Your thoughts on his performance?
Jaideep Dahiya: Rahul Sethpal is doing really well. As far as combination is concerned, we have played together at the junior level. We have been playing together for 4-5 years.
Q. Haryana Steelers have three defenders in the Top 10 of the leaderboard. How does it feel to lead such a defence?
Jaideep Dahiya: It feels very good to know that three out of the Top 10 defenders are from Haryana Steelers. If our team wins, then it is the best thing. It does not matter how many defenders are in the Top 10 if we are not winning.
Q. How excited are you to play in front of home fans in Panchkula?
Jaideep Dahiya: We are excited to play in front of our home fans. Before that, we have three matches. So, we are trying our best to win as many matches as possible.
Q. Do you have any personal goals in mind for PKL 10?
Jaideep Dahiya: No, I don't have any personal goals. I only want to win the trophy for the team. That's my goal.
Q. Tell us about the experience of working with coach Manpreet Singh.
Jaideep: Manpreet sir has been our coach for two seasons now. He has been a player before as well. So, he knows what a player feels while playing. Whichever mistakes we make, he tries to help us improve them by video analysis.
Q. How did you get into kabaddi? Tell us about your journey.
Jaideep: I have been playing kabaddi since I was nine or 10 years old. My elder brother would also play kabaddi. He was not a professional, but he was a good player. In my village, people have been playing kabaddi for the last 30-40 years. So, I learned kabaddi watching them.
I started playing kabaddi thinking I would get a good job. Then, the Pro Kabaddi League started, and so, my goal changed to become a top kabaddi player. People in my village are happy to see me in the PKL. They motivate me to perform even better.
Q. What were the challenges you faced on your kabaddi journey?
Jaideep: Injuries and form have been the biggest challenges for me. But, my goal is to play for India and perform well in the league. It is important to ignore the negatives and focus on the ultimate goal.
I focus on my practice a lot because if I stop practicing I won't even get to play for my village team, let alone the Indian team. No matter how much a player achieves, there is always room for improvement. So, yes, if I keep practicing, I will play for India one day.
