Panthers' Arjun Deshwal hopes his PKL journey will inspire many back home in UP

He has been Jaipur Pink Panthers' best raider for the last two seasons in Pro Kabaddi League.

Even this season he is amongst the most successful raider with 53 raid points in five games. In an exclusive chat with Khel Now, Arjun Deshwal talked about the ongoing season PKL 9 season and also his journey in Kabaddi.

Performance for Pink Panthers and playing alongside Rahul Chaudhari

When asked about his performance in the last season, where he was the stand-out performer for Jaipur Pink Panthers, Arjun said, "It was a great season for me and I felt really proud of my efforts".

Rahul Chaudhari is undoubtedly the first superstar to emerge from the PKL. He is playing for the Panthers in PKL season 9. When asked about his experience playing alongside Rahul, Arjun said, "There is no doubt that Rahul is a great player and I feel extremely proud to play alongside him".

Panthers' performance this season

The Jaipur Pink Panthers have got off to a good start in PKL season 9, they are currently second on the points table with four wins and one loss in five games. When asked about what the team is doing differently this season, Arjun said, "Last season we didn't play to our potential, we made mistakes, and mistakes happen from everyone. This time we have addressed our issues from last year and have worked on them. Our coach has also been proactive in terms of planning and preparing us for this season".

How he prepares for games in PKL

Games come thick and fast in PKL. Asked about his recovery in time for every game, Deshwal revealed that their trainer ensures that the players are fit. "Our trainer Bhusan Sir has chalked out a diet plan and training plan for all the players and we train according to our schedule. So our body recovers in time for the games," Deshwal said.

His journey into Kabaddi

Most players in PKL come from very humble backgrounds, Arjun Deshwal is no different. When asked about how he got into Kabaddi, he revealed, "I'm from Basera, it's a village in Muzaffarnagar, UP. My father is a farmer, and there is a craze for Kabaddi in our village. So, I always went to watch games but never really played. But since I was weak in studies, I started playing Kabaddi under the guidance of Dharmendra Deshwal who is part of the family.

"As my game improved, I played in sub-junior nationals, junior nationals and then senior nationals. After I played the senior nationals I was asked by coach Upendra sir to apply to the Army. Then my name appeared in the PKL auction and I was picked up there.

"When I was first picked up in the auction, I felt like I had achieved the biggest thing in my life as there was no one from our village who had played in the PKL before. The entire village was happy with my selection and they felt proud."

Trying to inspire youngsters in his village

Arjun hopes that his journey would inspire more youngsters in his village to play the sport. "When I started playing I looked up to my seniors. I hope that younger players in my village too can look up to me and get inspired," Deshwal said.

His idol in Kabaddi

Anup Kumar and Ajay Thakur have been stalwarts of Indian Kabaddi in the last decade. When asked about who his Idol is Arjun said, "There is no one single idol. I followed Anup Kumar and Ajay Thakur and others too who play well and try to pick up skills from them."

His ambition to play for India

Arjun Deshwal is in the national team's probable list for the Asian Games scheduled to be held next year in China. How he feels about playing for the country? Deshwal had a simple reply, he was indeed very happy. "I'm really proud and happy that I'm in the probables. When I started playing I never thought of this far ahead, but it feels nice that my hard work has paid off. Now I believe more firmly that hard work never goes waste".