Kabaddi Masters Dubai | Coach Srinivas Reddy admits team-selection dilemma

06/27/2018

Indian Kabaddi team coach L Srinivas Reddy has admitted that he is facing selection problems ahead of the team’s semi-final match against South Korea with all 14 players showing good form. Reddy added that Pardeep Narwal’s form was a positive boost for the team as he aimed for a gold medal in Dubai.

India have performed as per expectations in the ongoing Kabaddi Masters league in Dubai as they beat Pakistan twice before doing the double on and beat Kenya 50-15 in their last group stage encounter to take four wins from four matches as they topped Group A.

In doing so, India secured a spot in the semi-finals where they will take on South Korea in a bid to secure gold in Dubai. Head coach Srinivas Reddy, in the post-match press conference, heaped praise on the Indian team for their dominance on the court but also lamented the selection dilemma he faced ahead of every match due to so much talent in his 14-man squad.

“We have the world’s best raiders in our team. We have given them license to go for points in every raid. Our defense is strong enough to revive them if they fail. I am pleased with the way our raiders have played in this tournament,” coach Srinivas Reddy said in a press conference, reported Star Sports India.

Reddy added that he would like to give every player a chance but can’t do so as he can only field seven players in a match. The gaffer also praised Pardeep Narwal for his impressive display last night against Kenya as he revealed that he just asked the former to be himself and play his ‘natural attack’ game which ultimately paid off for the Indians.

“I just asked Pardeep to play his natural game and that worked for him against the Kenyans. With the semi-finals coming up, I had to experiment with the team in order to find the right balance in the starting line-up. I feel that we have found our best 7 players and we will go ahead in the tournament with these 7 itself as we aim for the trophy in the final,” added Reddy.

India will look to win this tournament as they find themselves in fine-form when they go up against a talented South Korean team during the course of the week. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Kenya will battle it out for the second spot from Group A today.

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