"Pawan Sehrawat is my inspiration" - Bengaluru Bulls' talented all-rounder Mohit Sehrawat 

In season 7 of the Pro Kabaddi League, then-defending champions Bengaluru Bulls fielded a very young team, which rode on Pawan Sehrawat's heroics to reach the semifinals.

While Pawan was an unstoppable force on the raiding front, the trio of Mahender Singh, Amit Sheoran and Saurabh Nandal formed quite a combination that worked well in unison for the Randhir Sehrawat-coached side.

However, the defensive unit was also aided by a couple of terrific assists from young Mohit Sehrawat, who, unfortunately, played in the shadows of the aforementioned stars.

Although he notched up only 17 points from the season, Mohit was quietly instrumental in the Bulls' defensive success in PKL 7. Notably, that was only his debut Pro Kabaddi season after being roped in to repeat his exploits from the All India University competition.

A talented all-rounder from Bawana in Delhi, Mohit has made quite a name for himself on the local circuit, having played a major role in MDU University's (Rohtak) back-to-back championship winning campaigns.

Hailing from the same city as raiding sensation 'High-Flyer' Pawan, Mohit's credentials are yet to be exhibited on the biggest stage, the Pro Kabaddi League, but the youngster is willing to bide time before his next opportunity.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Mohit talks about early struggles to convince his family about a career in kabaddi, Pawan Sehrawat as an inspiration, and more.

Get the complete list of Pro Kabaddi winners & runners up from 2014 to 2019 here.

Q. Take us back to the time when you made your PKL debut in 2019. How did it feel?

I clearly remember being signed by the Bengaluru Bulls under the New Young Player (NYP) program. Until then, we had only played at university level, and I had hoped that one day I would play in the Pro Kabaddi League. It was a great season for the Bengaluru Bulls, we made the semifinal as well. I felt really proud to be associated with a team that had made it that far, and to be one of the many crores of youngsters who aspire to be in the starting 7 of a PKL team.

Q. After quite a few opportunities in the PKL, the last two years have been harsh. How did you pass time in the lockdown, and what does the return of PKL mean to you?

It feels extremely good that Pro Kabaddi is back. To be honest, I was feeling extremely bored sitting at home, there was nothing happening at all. There was a sense of frustration building inside me, but now that we are out and playing, it feels good.

Q. In Pro Kabaddi 2021, you haven't got a lot of chances to play. Do you consider that as a setback when compared to the previous season?

Every opportunity matters. This season so far I've played one match, which was against the Puneri Paltan. In that match I picked up 3 tackle points, and I am confident I will do well with every chance that I get.

Q. I must ask you this, people with the surname 'Sehrawat' seem to have quite a bit of success in the PKL! What do you have to say about that?

Haha yes, that is true! (laughs) I consider Pawan Sehrawat to be my inspiration, I started playing kabaddi because of him. I was lucky enough to be picked by the Bengaluru Bulls and I am playing on the same team as him.

Q. What about the support from the coach and support staff within the Bengaluru Bulls? How much have they helped you shape your career?

There's a lot of support, and I've never felt like I've missed out on that so far. Randhir sir is very supportive, and I must mention Arvind Sir (head physio, Bulls), who has done a lot for us. He has constantly worked on my fitness and has helped channel my efforts in the right direction be it diet-wise and in terms of motivation. Even last season, whenever we lost matches, he'd ensure we weren't down on confidence, he would help us focus on the next game. It's great to have both of them around.

Q. What about the external support, your family? What sort of a role have they played in your path to Pro Kabaddi?

Honestly speaking, there wasn't much of support from the family early on, because they wanted me to focus on my studies. In Delhi, kabaddi and sports as such isn't supported much. My sisters were all good at studies, I was the only one who wasn't great at education.

But I managed to get through that phase, I played the nationals and then got a job. That helped me convince my family that considering kabaddi as a career is not a bad choice. Later in 2018-19 and 2019-20 I represented the Maharshi Dayanand University (MDH) in Rohtak, and I was a part of the gold-medal winning teams both years. From there, I was picked for Pro Kabaddi, and life's been different since then.