PKL 2018 | There are many things that Captains need to handle, asserts Rohit Kumar

PKL 2018 | There are many things that Captains need to handle, asserts Rohit Kumar

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Written by: Chiranjibi Pati

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PKL

Rohit Kumar is of the opinion that a captain has a lot of responsibilities and there are many things that he needs to handle on the mat. He also mentioned that Bengaluru Bulls have a weak defensive unit and that is a cause of concern for the team management before the end of the league stage.

Rohit Kumar was named the captain of the Bengaluru Bulls side in the Pro Kabaddi League last season and since then he has grown in stature with each passing day. Rohit has become more mature now and understands the role of a captain properly these days. It has been more than a year since he took over the team from the Garden City and the performance of the side has also improved under his leadership this season. 

Rohit himself underlined the fact that he has a lot to do being the captain of the side and there is always an additional responsibility on the man who leads the team on the mat. 

“There is a lot of responsibility being the captain of the side but I don’t feel that there is pressure on me. ‘Who will go to raid and if I get tackled and go off the mat then who will take care of the team?’ these are the things that a captain needs to handle to take the team forward. These things were not there and I had no knowledge about all these while I was only a player. But, now I have learnt all these things and don’t think that I am a raider and I want to score points. These days, I think that whatever I score during the raids should be in favour of my team,” Rohit told SportsCafe in an exclusive chat. 

Rohit wasn’t seen going for raids on most of the occasions in first few matches and it was young Pawan Sehrawat who utilised the opportunities and he had some very good games where he surprised many with his raiding skills. Pawan has got 190 raid points from 18 games while Rohit has 123 from as many matches. He is currently at the 12th position which is not as great as per his standards. In the fifth season last year, the Bulls skipper had 219 points in 22 matches that the Bulls played but they were unable to enter the playoffs.

Speaking about the reason of him staying away from raids in first few matches, the 28-year-old replied, “I had a small injury during the first few games so before recovering from that completely I didn’t go for the raids and Pawan handled it well for us. I was really happy to see the way he performed and only when there was an urgent requirement, I used to step up for the raids.” 

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The Bengaluru team is missing the services of senior player Kashiling Adake as he is sustaining a muscle strain. From 15 games this season, Kashi has 59 raid points and 15 tackle points. He has been very effective in collecting the bonus point during the Do or Die raids and being one of the senior men it was useful for Rohit and the team as well. Rohit hoped that Kashi might return to the team in their next game as the Bulls are scheduled to play Telugu Titans on December 18 in Panchkula during the home leg of Jaipur Pink Panthers.

“All the players in the team are very important and we saw in the first few games that Kashi is effective in both the raiding department and in the defence. He is a senior player and things that a senior player does, can’t be expected from the newcomers in the team. He will be on the mat in our next game in Chandigarh (Panchkula),” explained the Bengaluru skipper. 

With 64 points from 18 matches, the Bulls are almost through to the playoffs and they will want to ensure that they have the right balance before the playoffs. Rohit wants to focus on the strategies and tactics of the team for the playoffs according to the teams that they will be facing in the next round of the league. 

“We are 90% through into the playoffs and it will be 100% if we can win the remaining matches. Then we can make strategies for the upcoming games once we know who are our opponents in the playoff stages,” said Rohit.

“Our defence is a little weak and the matches that we lost, is all because of the defence. We don’t have any worries about the raiding department and we are focussing more on our defenders at this stage of the tournament.”

The Bengaluru side has developed a unique habit of making comebacks in the ongoing season of the Pro Kabaddi League. Despite lagging behind at the half-time, the team has ensured a strong comeback in many of the matches and Rohit is delighted as the team gets the end result in their favour.

“After the halftime, I tell my players to forget about the first 20 minutes and advise them to focus on the remaining 20 that is with us. We keep that in mind that the game has just started and we utilise the five-minute break by calmly discussing our strategy for the next half.”

When asked about the franchise’s decision of going into the league with two chief coaches, Rohit replied, “Randhir (Singh) sir has been there with Bengaluru from the very beginning of the league. He doesn’t put a lot of pressure on us and doesn’t get angry with the players. He is very calm and composed and keeps us motivated throughout the season. BC Ramesh sir has joined us this year and as he was a very good player during yesteryears, is helping us in getting our strategies and techniques right.”

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