PKL 2019 | Defence is always key to victory, says Ram Mehar Singh

08/10/2019

Patna Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh is of the belief that defenders’ performance is the reason that they were able to win the match against UP Yoddha last night by 41-20. He also talked about how he motivated his team after having lost three consecutive matches in the home leg this year.

Patna Pirates were able to give their fans a happy goodbye as they won their last match in the Patna leg last night. Patna stepped onto the mat with the determination to win this match and they did it. It was an all-round effort because of which they were able to win this match. They dominated from the minute go with their raiding unit headed by Pardeep Narwal. Pardeep scored 12 raid points and he was supported by Jang Kun Lee who scored five points. The defence collectively scored 16 tackle points as compared to UP Yoddha's four.

“Defence is always the key to victory. If the defence clicks, the team does well. Today our defence was outstanding and so was our offence. When both units play so well, it usually means victory,” Patna Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh said in the post-match press conference.

“I told my team let bygones be bygones. Focus on this game. For us, the league starts today. We have to focus on doing well in the next 16 games. I told my defence if they played well, we cannot be stopped from winning. The fans were hoping for a big performance from us today, and we are glad we could give them that. Beating an excellent team like U.P. Yoddha will give a lot of confidence and hopefully, we can build from here."

The hero of the defence was Neeraj Kumar who scored eight tackle points in nine attempts and helped his team find their rhythm in defence. He was well supported by other defenders such as Vikas Jaglan and Jaideep.

“The team was extra motivated today. The previous matches, we did not play to our potential. But today, we wanted to show what we were capable of,” Neeraj Kumar expressed.

The performance of defenders in the three matches before this one was not so impressive as they were struggling to get going and making advanced tackle attempts. Patna’s track record at home was much better in earlier seasons as in this season they ended up losing three of their four matches.

“It was extremely satisfying (the win). After the first three games, we had to win, and I am glad we did,” Patna Pirates skipper Pardeep Narwal said.