It was the first Inter Zone match of the season and it turned out to be a one sided affair. (Source: Pro Kabaddi release)
It was an even match up between Puneri Paltan and Bengal Warriors until the 13th minute of the first half. That was when Sandeep Narwal’s Super Raid inflicted the first all-out of the game on the Warriors and gave Paltan a comprehensive lead of 12-5. It was a body blow that Bengal Warriors could not come back from and in the end, they succumbed to a 34-17 defeat at Ahmedabad. It was the first Inter Zone match of the season and it turned out to be a one sided affair. Sandeep, who was the star performer of the day, said that he wanted to gift his captain a perfect birthday gift. “A win today is what I wanted to gift Deepak and I’m glad that we did it,” he said in the post match presser.
Sandeep dodged Warriors defenders as if he had a rugby session before the match. While captain Deepak Niwas Hooda struggled to find a way through Warriors’ defence, Sandeep was effective in the attack. Sandeep along with Rajesh Mondal kept picking at the Warriors’ defence as the Pune outfit went into the half time with a seven-point lead. The score was 17-10.
“Speed is my strength and everytime I go for a raid, I am full of confidence,” Sandeep said. “Ulti seedha bhagne ki practice karta hoon. But this time, I have worked on it. I also try to look behind while I go for a touch,” he added.
The second half too was dominated by Puneri Paltan. Their defence kept Jang Kun Lee and Maninder relatively quiet. Bengal Warriors have depended upon the duo to get them raid points and, on the day, they failed to get them out of the pits, as was pointed out by Surjeet Singh. “Our raiders let us down,” said the Warriors’ captain in the post-match press conference, “If any of our raiders had clicked then the score line would have been better.”
But even he conceded that his team was affected by the performance of Sandeep Narwal. “Sandeep was phenomenal in defence,” he said. Sandeep Narwal was at his lethal best with his double ankle holds and full body dash. With support from Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Sandeep helped his side inflict three all-outs on Bengal Warriors. He was also playing a leaders’ role, rallying the defenders and ensuring that they stay alert when the opposition raiders came in. It is hence no wonder that Pune coach BC Ramesh believes that Sandeep’s form will help them maintain consistency in the coming weeks.
“We had thought that this will be a neck to neck contest. But Sandeep played brilliantly. He was good in all departments. Video analysis has helped us,” Ramesh concluded.
