Jaipur Pink Panther’s Captain Jasvir Singh was the talk of the town once again after he turned in another incredible performance in the team’s victory over Bengal Warriors. With his 13 points in the game, he also surpassed U Mumba’s Rishank Devadiga on the most raid points table with 27 raid points. The post match conference revolved around the maverick raider’s exploits in the match.
Warriors coach piled on the blame for the defeat on the team’s defence. He said, “The match was a close one but the defence and cover of our team was not up to the mark. This is the main reason for our defeat today.“ He added, “The cover defence of our team disappointed today. The raiders did a fine job in the match but it was not enough for us to win the game. We really need to focus on our defence tactics.“
Apart from crediting Jasvir Singh’s brilliance on the mat, Shetty also pointed out the lack of coordination in his team that led to the defeat. “Jasvir deserves credit for his brilliant performance today. Infact, their entire team looked dominating in the match. There was a clear lack of coordination amongst our players and we had to pay for it today,” Shetty told the media.
Captain Nilesh Shinde, who is the team’s leading defender, echoed the coach’s sentiment. “We were well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition team. Infact, our coach formulated a game plan for this match. We committed mistakes in the last minutes of the match. The raiders of Pink panthers outclassed our cover defence which was decisive. We need to work on our cover defence for the rest fixtures,” he said before signing off.
The star of the game Jasvir Singh was at his modest best and credited the win to team effort instead. “It was a team effort that credited this victory to our account. Regarding my performance, I was trying to adjust my game as per the situation.” Talking about his strategy, he said, “Be it first, second or third raid, I was attempting to score points for our team. Our team didn’t rely on the decider 3rd raid solely which had a positive impact on the result.“
The captain also went on to explain his minor verbal confrontation with the umpire that resulted in him being shown the Green Card. He said, “Yes, I did argue with the umpire but it was in reflex of the situation. Umpires are also human beings and can commit mistakes. A single point can shape the result of the match.” On asked whether he thought he deserved the man of the match for his 13 points, he quipped, “I never play for the man of the match award. My priority is the team and I put my 100% to secure victory for the team. I really don’t care for awards. Team’s victory is the biggest award for me.”
Panthers coach Balwan Singh too found himself at the receiving end of a Green Card. However, the coach was quick to admit the mistake was his and, in fact, went on to praise the referee for doing a good job. He said, “It is good that the referees are doing their job fairly. I admit my fault for which I was booked. It is the duty of players as well as coach to maintain decorum during the match. Indiscipline should not be tolerated and punishment should be given.”
Jaipur Pink Panthers will have a chance to climb to the top of the table when they meet the first placed Puneri Paltan today. However, it will be interesting to see if after playing three mentally and physically taxing games, the team can take on the Paltans with the same intensity in their last match of the home leg.
