PKL 2019 | Players were switched off in second half as it was our last league game, says Rakesh Kumar
Haryana Steelers coach Rakesh Kumar has stated that the Haryana players were seemingly off in the second half as it was their last league game. He also talked about how the defence still needs a little fine-tuning and about the break before the playoffs which will be helpful for them.
Haryana Steelers were at a strong position six minutes into the game when there were only three players of the opponents left on the mat but a super tackle then gave Mumba an edge and they successfully avoided an all out. Steelers finally managed to inflict an all-out in the second half but it didn’t have a major impact as they themselves got all out six minutes after that.
“Last game of the league stage, so the players were seemingly a bit switched off in the second half. Our defence made a few advanced tackles and the raiders couldn’t pick up points. Had we enforced another All Out, we would have won the match. But, I'm content with the performance that I saw in the first half and I believe that is a more accurate depiction of our level right now than the second half,” Rakesh Kumar told reporters.
"The raiders have been playing well. The defence needs a little fine tuning. Like I said, this match wasn’t that important to us. We rested key players like Prashanth Kumar Rai and our captain Dharmaraj Cheralathan for this game because we wanted them to be fresh for the playoffs. We have a good break before our playoffs match. We will work hard on our defence and be ready for whichever team we are drawn against."
Vikas Kandola is the team’s top raider and he has an interesting record to his name. He has scored a total of 10 Super 10s in his 19 matches and out of those 19 matches, Haryana have won nine whereas they tied one. That means it is almost certain that when Vikas scores a Super 10 the team wins and also in this match he failed to score one.
“Not really. I thrive under pressure. I've just made a few uncharacteristic mistakes in the past few games but I'm sure I’ll be able to rectify that in the coming matches,” Kandola said on being asked if he is under too much pressure as a lead raider.
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