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Prodigy – That’s a word thrown around recklessly in sports. Every time a youngster shows a little promise, he is touted as the best thing to happen to the sport since its inception. Even if a bit of talent is shown, the player is labelled the “next <insert name of legendary player to play the sport>”.
However, there are occasions, although rare, when a player lives up to the billing. There are times when a generational talent not only fulfils his potential, but goes on to carve a place for himself in history.
Gujarat Fortune Giants’ Sachin Tawar’s kabaddi career is too short for him to be counted among the legends (yet), but he is surely making a name for himself. Despite playing just over a season in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) and leading the junior Indian kabaddi team, he has broken a plethora of records and made the world sit up and take notice.
The running hand touch, a move associated with Indian international Rohit Kumar, has now become synonymous with Sachin due to his exploits in his debut season. The 19-year-old uses his speed to glide across the mat and makes the most of his lanky frame to graze the opponent’s body, earning his side valuable points.
Despite the Fortune Giants boasting talents like Sukesh Hegde and Mahendra Singh Rajput in Season 5, the then 18-year-old became the posterboy of the team and its prime raider. So much scrutiny on a teenager making his debut with a team playing its first season could have crushed anyone but Sachin Tawar is not your average kabaddi player.
The Rajasthani took the attention in his stride and shone when the spotlight was thrust on him. He scored 159 points in 24 matches to help the team reach the finals in their debut season. This is the highest ever total by a teenager in the history of the PKL.
His performances in the first season impressed his employers so much that they retained him for an astonishing 56.87 lakhs ahead of Season 6. This amount smashed the record for the most expensive teenager in the sport, which was set by Sachin himself before Season 5 when he was bought for 36 lakhs by the franchise.
And he hasn’t disappointed… Far from it! Although the team hasn’t been able to get the results on the mat, Sachin has carried his form from Season 5 into Season 6. In two matches played by Gujarat so far, the youngster has scored 15 points. Comparing that to the 6 points he could tally at this stage last season surely puts things into perspective.
What has been even more impressive is the growth curve he is on. What keeps an athlete at the top of their game is the never-ending desire to improve and be the best version of themselves. Sachin is doing just that by working on his weaknesses and the results are showing already. His defence has improved and he looks more confident going into tackles – evidenced by the 2 tackle points he has scored in as many matches. In contrast, he scored a total of just 14 points in 24 matches last season.
Despite the fact that he hasn’t scored a Super 10 so far (in comparison, he scored seven 10+ scores last season), he is just getting warmed up. It is only going to be a matter of time before he is raking in the points by the dozen and helping Gujarat Fortune Giants register wins on the bounce.
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