PKL 2019 | Felt like getting on the mat and raiding myself at times, states Anup Kumar
PKL
Anup Kumar has asserted that he felt like getting on the mat and go for raids himself at times in the last game against U Mumba on Saturday. The Puneri Paltan coach has also added that it is difficult for him to judge the performance of the Puneri Paltan raiders after the defeat against Mumba.
It was not a pleasant evening for Anup Kumar at the Dome NSCI, SVP Stadium in Mumbai, as Puneri Paltan were humbled by a margin of 10 points yesterday. Anup had returned to Mumbai to coach the Pune side against the same team whom he played for five seasons and had also won the tournament in the second year. However, after a poor show by his raiders last evening, the coach expressed that he wanted to step on the mat and play.
“It was very difficult to judge how our raiders performed today. I felt like getting on the mat and raiding myself at times, to be honest, because if we don’t raid well, it puts pressure on the defence,” Anup said after the match.
Anup also spoke about Sushant Sail who was brought in as a substitute, and also managed to get three touch points in three raids last evening. The coach also said that more the number matches for Sushant, the better he will become.Â
“He (Sushant Sail) was a substitute today, but he took points in raids. He performed well today and he’s a good raider. The more he plays, the better he will get. If he keeps performing well, he will get more chances.”
U Mumba, on the other hand, are off to a great start at home. After losing the previous game to Jaipur Pink Panthers, Fazel Atrachali is happy that the team is back in winning ways and that is crucial not only for the players but also for the Mumbai fans.
“Last match, we lost. We needed to win this match because we couldn’t afford to lose two in a row. So, the win was very important for us and our fans.
“We were just focused on ourselves and being in control. I wasn’t concerned about the other team because our performance in the defence was good,” Atrachali said during the press conference.
