Our strategy against Surender Gill was successful, says Coach Ram Mehar Singh

Pardeep Narwal’s heroics couldn’t help Yoddhas win against Gujarat Giants.

Pro Kabaddi League PKL Season 9 witnessed a spectacular game on Day 12, with Gujarat Giants securing their second victory of the season. Ram Mehar Singh's side defeated Jasveer Singh's UP Yoddhas in a high-scoring encounter by six points. The final standings were 51-45 in favour of the Giants. Chandran Ranjith, who was trying his level best to come back in form, finally showed some phenomenal raiding as he scored 20 points. Rakesh, on the other hand, gave full support to his skipper by scoring 16 points.

UP Yoddha’s Pardeep Narwal was exceptional with 17 points, but his performance couldn’t help the Yoddha win the game. Surender Gill, too, was the one who won hearts with his mind-blowing raiding. The defence became the reason for their defeat as no one could tackle in the second half, which cost them the match in PKL 9.

On this remarkable victory, let’s see what Coach Ram Mehar Singh and Chandran Ranjith said. Also, see what UP Yoddha’s coach Jasveer Singh and Captain Nitesh Singh said in the post-match conference:

Gujarat Giants: Coach Ram Mehar Singh and Captain Chandran Ranjith

What was the strategy today to stop Pardeep Narwal?

Ram Mehar Singh himself is a big fan of Pardeep Narwal. He tried his level best to grab Pardeep in the auction but could not. In the post-match presentation, Coach Ram Mehar Singh described there was not much strategy against Pardeep, but they focused on Surender Gill either. He said, "We made a strategy against Pardeep Narwal, but I would say the focus was more on Surender Gill. We had our plans set against Gill as he had been doing considerably well in the past few games. I believe that we were successful in our strategy on most of the occasions against Surender, and that became the reason for our victory. Also, our captain has come back in form, which is a positive sign for us."

What were your discussions with Chandran Ranjith before the game?

Chandran Ranjith is finally back in form with today’s emphatic victory over UP Yoddha. In his discussion with the skipper, Coach Ram Mehar said, "Chandran has played exceptionally well in the last few years. He actually gets nervous easily whenever he gets tackled in the beginning. I made him believe that it doesn’t matter; in fact, whatever you have practised before the game, just give 80 percent of that and we will win the game."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIHeBSCJ0s

UP Yoddha: Coach Jasveer Singh and Captain Nitesh Kumar

Good start today but what was the reason behind this loss?

UP Yoddha Coach Jasveer Singh was emphatic that the defence fell short of expectations. He said, "Defence was poor today and that was the reason behind our loss. Though I believe Surender and Pardeep did really well, it was the defence that let us down today."

Do you think that you gave extra raids to Surender Gill in the beginning?

Surender Gill did raid more in the beginning, unlike every time, but Coach Jasveer believed both Pardeep and Surender were getting opportunities to raid. He said, "Both the players were raiding in the beginning. There was no favouritism at all. Both were right and left raiders, respectively. I believe the combination was going well."

Where do you think the defence lacks today?

Skipper Nitesh Kumar was asked about his defence in today’s PKL 9 game, and he straightaway expressed the reason for the failure. He said, "Defence was the major issue today. There was hastiness seen every time. I believe the defence should have given some time to themselves. Also, advanced tackles became the reason for our defeat."