PKL 2018 | Second half becomes easier after a good first half, explains Fazel Atrachali
PKL
U Mumba skipper Fazel Atrachali has stated that that the second half of a kabaddi game becomes easier for any team if they had done well in the first 20 minutes. U Mumba defeated Dabang Delhi in the only match yesterday by making a stunning comeback in the second innings of the Zone A match.
Dabang Delhi came into yesterday’s game with a lot of confidence after getting the better of Jaipur Pink Panthers in their first game. The Delhi side had a good lead of nine points at the end of the first half. But the team from Mumbai came from behind and had an incredible second half to win the game and move to the top of the standings in the zone.Â
“It was a tough game. We couldn’t get going in the first half. The first half of a game is very important. The second half becomes easier if you play well in the first half. However, a kabaddi match is 40 minutes long. We fought in the second half and got the result we wanted,” Fazel said during the press conference yesterday.Â
“We committed many mistakes in the first half. We didn’t stick to our plans and that put us behind. We changed our strategies for the second half. The coach asked us to stick to the changed strategies and that ensured we won the game.”
Siddharth Desai was the star for the table-toppers with 19 points from 16 raids which included three Super Raids as well but at the end of the first half he had only three and didn’t come to raid on most of the occasions as well.Â
“In our previous match against Dabang Delhi K.C., Rohit Baliyan performed really well. The plan was for him to raid more since he performed well against them last time around. However, we ended up facing a deficit at the end of the half. I got my turn in the second half and thankfully I performed well when the team needed me to,” Desai told the media persons.
“The scores were level before I went in to raid. I wanted to get at least a point to put us back ahead. I was very relaxed whenever I went in to raid and ended up getting four points on that occasion. This was very crucial as this put the game out of their reach.”
Meanwhile, Dabang Delhi coach Krishan Kumar Hooda underlined the fact that after the scores were level with three minutes still to go, the home team defence committed an error and gifted four points in a single raid which made it difficult for them to win the match.
“With three minutes to go, the scores were level, and anything could have happened. However, our defence committed a crucial mistake and we ended up giving away four points. We went in for an advanced tackle and didn’t end up supporting our defender. Siddharth Desai just blasted past them. He might have had trouble getting through if we had support. We would maybe have been able to push him out of the mat instead.
“There was a difference in strategies. Siddharth Desai was the difference as well. He didn’t raid much in the first half but came at us in the second,” the Delhi coach explained.Â
