PKL 2019 | The way we rallied in second half will give us a lot of confidence, says Nitesh Kumar

From lagging behind by five points, when there were thirty seconds left in the first half, UP Yoddha made a great comeback. The end of the first half saw a super raid by Shrikant Jadhav which not only ousted four players but also pushed them towards an all-out. When the second half started, UP caught Thalaivas last man and started building on the lead they got from the all-out. They dominated Thalaivas from there on after and won by a big margin in the end.

“The way we lost to U Mumba was a bit disheartening, but the fightback we showed today and the we way rallied in the second half will give us a lot of confidence and momentum before our next game. And it is important to have momentum when the frequency of games is so high,” UP skipper Nitesh Kumar said in the post-match press conference.

Yoddha inflicted three all-outs in the second half with the help of all-round performance. The defence seemed off-color in the first half but gained momentum in the second half. The defensive unit scored 14 points and Sumit was the highest scorer with five points and Ashu supported him well with three tackle points of his own. 

“Sumit has been a star for us since the start of the season. He has been a consistent performer and has been a massive addition to our defence,” Nitesh said while appreciating Sumit’s performance. 

The highest raid point scorer of the last match - Rishank Devadiga - wasn’t able to carry that form here as he only scored four points in 14 raid attempts. Shrikant Jadhav was the highest scorer with eight points and Surender Gill followed him with six points.

“It is important for me to take the initiative as the senior member in the squad and lead the troops when I can. Almost everyone in the team willingly takes the initiative when they can. Only when everyone takes responsibility can the team perform well,” Rishank said.

Cricket FootBall Kabaddi

Basketball Hockey

SportsCafe