Ram Meher Singh has special praise for this Gujarat Giants trio

The western outfit secured their first win of the season against the Puneri Paltan.

Gujarat Giants led by Ram Meher Singh bagged their first win of the season with a united performance against Puneri Paltan in PKL 9, despite Aslam Inamdar bagging a Super 10 from just bonuses and 19 points in total. Rakesh Sungroya was the star for the Giants with 15 raid points. Sourav Gulia put up his first High 5.

The Giants won 47-37. Here are the quotes from the press conference.

Gujarat Giants: Coach Ram Mehar Singh, Captain Chandran Ranjith, and Rakesh Sungroya

What was the game plan defensively?

The Giants put on a defensive show with 12 tackle points in total. The coach said, “If any team plays their best defence, the match is guaranteed to go neck-to-neck. Today our raiding stepped up, led by Rakesh. We made defensive mistakes in the past but they exceeded our expectations in this match. Shankar, Arkam, and Sourav are very good but it is their first time in the league. They showed no nerves and stuck to our plan.”

On having multi-dimensional players in the starting XI

Gujarat have built a squad with defenders who can raid if needed. On the benefits of having all-rounders, coach Ram Meher Singh answered, “I was also an all-rounder for Services. I was the main raider and could play across defensive positions. If all my 3 raiders are caught, having all-rounders can be of benefit. I believe in having all-rounders.”

Rakesh on the plans to defy Fazel

Rakesh has been on fire this season, no matter who the opposition is. His trick to contain Fazel was, “The coach told me that Fazel will go low with ankle holds so I should go for the dummy bounce. This did the trick.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBFdz0ohwc

Rinku Narwal’s head injury

 Gujarat’s vice-captain Rinku Narwal was stretchered off after suffering a blow to the head. Coach Singh downplayed the serious nature of the injury saying, “It was barely an injury. Kabaddi is a contact sport and this is part and parcel of the game, see Pardeep’s example in Season 5. It was not a muscular injury so he will be back soon. Sandeep Kandola was the best defender in season 2 and he is a capable replacement.”

Puneri Paltan: Coach BC Ramesh and Captain Fazel Atrachali

On the covers not performing

Fazel made his debut as Puneri Paltan captain. Both covers were ripped apart by Rakesh. Fazel answered, “All our raiders are playing well. In defence we had some problems and will improve. We had a combination problem with our covers.”

On returning to India with the fans present

Fazel agreed that his absence upset the team’s balance but was happy to be back on the mat. “I am very happy but sad that I missed the last 2 matches and that affected our combination.”

Interactions after returning

The arrival of Iranians Fazel and Nabibakhsh has bolstered the Puneri ranks. Fazel replied, “I am proud of Aslam, he did a good job as captain. The team is happy that we are back. We are waiting for Abinesh to come back from a muscle injury. This is Kabaddi, one side should lose and one side should win.”

Gaurav Khatri’s promising potential

Gaurav Khatri has been brilliant since his introduction to the league. Coach Ramesh said, “He is a young player and has a good future ahead of him. He has the height and a good ankle hold and dash. He can raid if required too.”

Puneri are yet to win a match, they have lost 2 and tied 1 and sit in 11th. They next play U Mumba. Gujarat does not have a rest day. They will regroup to take to the mat against Jaipur tonight.

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