Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], September 18 : Dabang Delhi K.C. head coach Joginder Narwal was delighted with his team's comeback win against Telugu Titans at the SMS Indoor Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday. The table toppers scripted a 33-29 win, extending their winning streak to six matches, courtesy of a complete team performance, as per a release from Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).
Interacting with the media in the post-match press conference, Joginder Narwal shared what he told his players to inspire a comeback.
"In the first half, Neeraj fell to a couple of catches. So, I told him that he needed to be more clinical and aggressive while raiding, otherwise we'd lose the match," he said, as quoted from a release by PKL.
"After that, he got us three points in one raid, and that lifted the entire team's spirits. It was a tough game, so credit to the entire team because they did well in both departments to stage a comeback and get the win", he added.
Dabang Delhi K.C. trailed by five points at half time before High Fives from Fazel Atrachali and Saurabh Nandal, along with contributions from their raiders helped them get over the line in a close-contest.
Giving an insight into what was going through his mind, especially during Akshit's late heroics of a Super Raid, Fazel Atrachali said, "It was the last three seconds of the game and Akshit was still there, so we were nervous. But that's the best part about kabaddi and why it's such an interesting sport for the people. There's excitement all the time."
Further crediting the impact of his coach and highlighting how the team has been performing well, Fazal stated, "It also shows how Dabang Delhi K.C. have a good team, with a young player like Akshit coming in to make an impact off the bench. Neeraj, Ajinkya and Akshit, they all contributed today, and that's what a team does. If we continue playing together, we can beat any team," Fazel concluded.
In the first game of the day, Jaipur Pink Panthers will take on the Bengal Warriorz. The two teams are coming into the contest on the back of wins, and will be eager to build on that momentum. For the home side, the onus will be on Nitin Kumar and Ali Samadi to counter the impact Devank Dalal brings to the table for the Season 7 champions. With such explosive raiders on show, this contest could be decided by which attacking unit does better on the day.
Second place side Puneri Paltan will take on third place U Mumba in the second game of the day. The two teams have been at their best in recent times and will be looking to continue that trend. With the likes of Aslam Inamdar and Sunil Kumar taking the mat, one can expect an aggressive tactical battle between the two sides.