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Sandeep Narwal and More GB were in fine form for Puneri Paltan as they registered a comfortable 34-17 win over Bengal Warriors in Tuesday's Pro Kabaddi League match up. It was a complete no show from Surjeet and co. as they were left to lick their wounds at the end of forty minutes.
As usual, Sandeep Narwal was a live wire on the mat. He scored seven vital points for Pune and his movements caused a host of problems for Bengal Warriors. Narwal revealed that his nimble footwork hasn't come to him overnight, it is the outcome of years of practice
"I haven't begun practicing now, I have been doing this since my childhood. I used to always try and run in a zig zag manner. Even at our pre-season camp, the coach made me practice these runs. Previously I used to only run aimlessly without scoring any points, I used to never look behind my back, now I make sure I get a touch point," he said.
Deepak Hooda celebrated his birthday today. He turns 24 on Tuesday and Sandeep revealed his gift for the captain. He said, "I won him the match, is there a better gift than this? If we would have lost the match, there would have been no reason to celebrate. Now we will celebrate like crazy at the hotel."
Despite the huge margin of victory, Pune captain, Deepak Hooda refused to concede that this was one of the easier matches that he's been part of. "No, there are no easy matches in Pro Kabaddi. Any team can provide a good fight, you've seen that. My players performed well that is why it was a one-sided match," he said.
Unlike previous seasons, Hooda has been relatively quiet in attack this time around. Against Bengal Warriors, he managed just two points. Normally Deepak is much more aggressive in his approach but admitted that captaincy has taken some freedom away from him.
"I have responsibilities so I have to control myself, I cannot raid as much. When the team plays well, it's more important to control the team rather than focusing on scoring raid points. That's what I did today. We did well in the third raids too," he explained.
"More importantly our defenders worked very well. Bengal have good raiders like Lee and Maninder. We tackled them extremely well, that is why the game was one-sided. We never let them score," he opined.
Throughout the match, Deepak and Sandeep were involved in some lengthy conversations. The captain revealed that regular communication on the mat is vital. He reckons it improves team chemistry and helps the younger players settle well into the side.
"Sandeep has usually played as a corner for us in the previous games. Tonight he played as a cover, so I and he had to be on the same wavelength. Sandeep, I and Dharmaraj are responsible for controlling the team. The more we understand each others game, the better it is for the team," he stated.
