For someone who makes a living by browbeating his opponents into total submission, Rahul is quite the gentle giant when he trades his playing gear for a civilian outfit, making sure that he is generous to a fault, while interacting with his well-wishers of varying age groups. And when he is fielding a fusillade of questions from the probing minds of the media personnel, he isn’t the kind to give evasive replies, no matter how disconcerting the queries are. Indeed, there is a balance of mind and coherence of thought in how he goes about his media interactions.

Being the proud owner of sobriquets such as ‘The Poster Boy of Indian Kabaddi’, and ‘Raid Machine’, it would be no exaggeration to say that the 25-year-old is in sole possession of oodles of stardust that escorts him like a dutiful consort to any corner of the country. Try reminding him of his popularity that is soaring to greater heights every day, and the shrinking violet in him isn’t puffed up with pride. In fact, he is completely unmindful of it. “Once the action begins, we stay focused and aren’t aware of what the crowd is doing or how their response is. As players we don’t let ourselves get distracted, but yes it feels nice to hear the fans chanting your name and wanting you to do well. Their support acts as great motivation,” says the Telugu Titans raider.

With the Titans coming off a forgettable season five in Pro Kabaddi – where it failed to qualify for the playoffs - the strapping six-footer from UP is determined to right the wrongs in this year’s edition.

There may be some who consider statistics and milestones to be an ornament of inestimable value even if they come at the expense of their team’s performance, but not Rahul who unhesitatingly pours scorn on them. “Personal records mean nothing to me. There is no room for personal targets in a team sport. My only aim this season is to be a part of a title-winning team. And we have every reason to believe that we can make it happen this year. The squad has been revamped and with the addition of three Iranians, we will be a tough team to beat,” predicts Rahul.

By all accounts, the Indian men’s kabaddi team’s showing at this year’s Asiad was as inglorious as it was unexpected. Despite being tipped to win an eighth successive gold, all that India could manage was a bronze that hardly anyone cared about. Asked about it, Rahul refused to put forth any flimsy excuses and admitted that the team had failed in its hunt for gold. “The defeat taught us the significance of getting the team combination right. Even though we lost, it doesn’t make us a bad team and we will put that loss to good use,” remarked Rahul even as he rouses himself for his next raid.