PKL 2019 | Told players to play for respect, says Srinivas Reddy
PKL
After their win against Bengaluru, Jaipur Pink Panthers coach Srinivas Reddy said that he told the players to give their 100 percent and play for respect. Jaipur won the match 41-34 and with this win, they still have a chance to make it to the play-offs provided UP Yoddha lose all their matches.
In a game filled with super-raids in the first half, the result was not as easy to predict. Jaipur Pink Panthers came out on top because of their all-round performance despite being the first team to receive an all-out. Jaipur Pink Panthers started strong and were leading when the first half ended by two points. They executed three of the five super raids in the first half. Deepak Narwal scored 16 raid points and was even able to complete his Super Ten before the first half ended.
“We had told the players one thing, even during training, that we have two matches and that we should play for respect. That you would have to go all out in these matches and win. After that whatever is the equation, time will decide. So our aim is to win and time will take care of the rest. The boys performed very well today. It was a collective effort, even the defence played its part. Winning always feels good for anyone. And when you win against a team like Bengaluru Bulls, then the confidence shoots up and builds up a positive atmosphere,” Jaipur Pink Panthers coach Srinivas Reddy said in the post-match presentation.
Jaipur outplayed the Bulls in both the departments. In the raiding department, Deepak Narwal received support from Neelesh Salunke who finished the match with nine points. Whereas in defence Vishal Lather emerged as the top scorer with a high five and he worked well with Sandeep Dhull who scored four tackle points. Even though there were a few unsuccessful tackles, their defence seemed to strike crucial points.
“This season has been the toughest in the vivo Pro Kabaddi history because all the 12 teams are very good. We are all competing in tough situations, all the matches are neck and neck - a few may have been one-sided - but overall all the teams performed very well. Ups and downs keep happening. Unfortunately, we had a couple of players injured at crucial junctures and these things happen in such a long league. That’s why our performance had dipped and to overcome that took some time. But we will take this win today and run that momentum in our final match to end the tournament on a winning note. Rest depends, and I am not too worried about it,” coach Reddy concluded.
