PKL 2019 | No home pressure, we are delighted to come back, says Rohit Kumar
Rohit Kumar has expressed his happiness of coming back to Bengaluru after a gap of two years for their home leg and said that there will be no pressure of performing well. Coach Randhir Singh has stated that he doesn’t need a third raider in the team if Rohit and Pawan Sehrawat perform.
Bengaluru Bulls will start their home leg from tomorrow and they are coming back to the Graden City after a gap of two years. They had to play their home matches in Nagpur and Pune in the fifth and sixth seasons respectively but this year, they will play all their four home matches at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. When asked about the same during the press-conference before the start of the leg, Rohit replied that there is no home pressure and he also expressed his happiness of coming back home.
“There is no pressure but more than that we are happy to return to our home base after two years. We want to do better so that the fans are not disappointed as in season 4, we were not able to well but the support and backing from our fans were always there,” Rohit explained.Â
The Bulls will face Gujarat Fortunegiants in the first home game on Saturday and that is the re-match of the last year’s finale which the Bulls managed to win. In the game between the two teams this year, Gujarat had managed to get the better of the Bulls in the very first leg in Hyderabad. Rohit said that his team didn’t know a lot about the new players in Gujarat in the first game this season.
“They (Gujarat) are a good team and we have already won twice and tied ones against them last season. They made some changes in the corner position and we didn’t know how they played but now we know and also it was one of the earlier matches so that is a factor as well. I don’t think there is any talk of revenge and they are a good team which will surely be in the final. As I said, we didn’t know much about the new guys but now we are prepared and with coach’s help we have made strategy against them,” the skipper explained.
Bengaluru coach Randhir Singh, who also answered the questions of the reporters explained about the use of the video analysis and how it has helped the teams in the PKL. “It helps us a lot but most of my players in defence are new like Saurabh Nandal, who are reaching their peak slowly. He hasn’t even played Junior or Senior Nationals and he is here for the first time and gotten three high 5s. So, video analysis helps a lot as one gets to know more about their weakness on video and so for example, there were two new corners for Gujarat who nobody had seen before so we were not able to make a strategy against them and that is what cost us,” the coach said.
Sumit Singh and Banty are the two raiders who are used as the third option after Rohit and Pawan Sehrawat in the league so far. The Bulls had Kashiling Adake in the previous season and he had the experience behind him as well. Randhir, however, pointed out that Rohit and Pawan are enough to get results for his team.
 “If these players (pointing at Pawan and Rohit) achieve their peak, I don’t need a third raider. As we have tired Bunty, who has a 4 point average, and the other was Sumit who has also done well.
“So, the third raiders aren’t able to do much above 3,4,5. On the other, hand Pawan is reaching his peak and is very important as his performance along with captain Rohit’s performance won’t make us feel the need for a third raider and even my defence has played brilliantly in some matches,” the experienced coach who has been with the Bulls from season 1 signed off.