Arjun Deshwal raided with maturity, says coach Upendra Kumar

Meanwhile the Haryana Steelers found themselves on wring end of a one-sided scoreline.

Led by their lynchpins Sunil Kumar, Arjun Deshwal and coach Upendra Kumar, Jaipur Pink Panthers eased to a 44-31 victory against Haryana Steelers. Arjun posted 14 raid points while Sunil Kumar had a whopping 8 tackle points. Rahul Chaudhari thrived under do-or-die pressure with 7 raid points.

Jaipur Pink Panthers: Coach Upendra Kumar, Captain Sunil Kumar, and Arjun Deshwal

Defensive masterclass by Sunil

Sunil Kumar was a wall in defence, the captain leading from the front and taking the tackle point-scoring responsibility on himself. He answered, “I don’t see individual accolades. I am a team player. It was a collective performance, and this was the reason for the success.”

Rahul Chaudhari’s successful outing

Coming off an impressive showing in the National Games, Rahul Chaudhari failed to replicate his form in the first two games. He found his touch against the Steelers. On being asked what changed in his approach coach Kumar answered, “Every match has a different rhythm. Rahul has to adjust to a support-raider role and he took some time.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr8xNWb4VZM

Arjun’s performance

Arjun Deshwal tops the raid-point charts in season 9 and has 3 consecutive Super 10s. Coach Kumar added, “Haryana are one of the stronger sides defensively. Arjun raided with maturity and did not let the super tackles affect his gameplay."

J&K’s PKL Debutant Lucky Sharma

Lucky Sharma became the first player from Jammu & Kashmir to make his PKL debut. Coach Kumar provided a player profile and said, “Lucky Sharma is an all-rounder. He can play anywhere. Lucky played for Services and has experience. He handled the pressure very well and it is a positive thing for the squad."

Haryana Steelers: Coach Manpreet Singh and captain Joginder Narwal

Manjeet’s off-colour performance

Manjeet failed to match his impressive start to the season. Coach Manpreet reasoned, “We did not play according to his strengths. He put in a lot of effort and we had to conserve his fitness for the rest of the league."

Meetu’s breakthrough performance

Meetu underlined his credentials with a 16-point all-round performance. Coach Manpreet said, “Meetu is a high-scoring raider. The team wins only if the defence performance. Our defence let us down.”

Joginder being subbed off again

Joginder Narwal as captain has started all three games at left corner but on all three occasions, has sat on the bench after playing for the initial bit. Nitin Rawal was struggling to contain Arjun Deshwal, and Joginder still did not feature. The captain said, “I stick to the coach’s strategy. We were not successful tonight. I am available whenever my coach needs me. It is a long league and it will go on for some time. Losses and wins are part and parcel. We will learn from this loss and work better from the next match.”

Amirhossein Bastami’s debut

The Iranian right corner was brought in for big money and made his debut, only to be subbed off. Coach Manpreet answered on his performance saying, “It was Amir’s debut and he was carrying a knock. When the time is right we will ease him into the lineup.”

Haryana will aim to stop Dabang Delhi, Jaipur face Bengal.

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