Jaipur, Sep 28 (IANS) Rishank Devadiga praised Tamil Thalaivas raider Arjun Deshwal’s outstanding showing against his former team and commended Thalaivas’ formidable defence. He also highlighted Devank Dalal’s crucial raids against Patna. The Jaipur leg of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 concluded with Bengal Warriorz narrowly defeating Patna Pirates 48-42, and Jaipur Pink Panthers losing 28-37 to Tamil Thalaivas in their home game.
“We spoke in the pre-match show about two big stories — Arjun Deshwal facing his former team, Jaipur Pink Panthers and Devank Dalal going up against Patna Pirates. Both players came out on top, but for Arjun Deshwal, it was a special occasion,” Rishank said on JioStar while reflecting on the emotional encounters experienced in the tournament’s Jaipur leg.
“Playing against the Panthers in Jaipur, in front of that crowd, and dominating the match with his raids was mesmerising to watch. He even received praise from Abhishek Bachchan, the owner of Jaipur Pink Panthers, and Abhishek ji even congratulated coach Sanjeev Baliyan, who led the Panthers to the title in Season 9. It was wonderful to see the respect Arjun earned, and his performance was truly commendable,” he added.
He also analysed Tamil Thalaivas’ performance before they head home for the Chennai leg of the tournament and said, “The defence of the Tamil Thalaivas stepping up is big news, especially with the Chennai leg about to begin and fans eagerly waiting for a strong performance at home. In the first half, Nitesh Kumar showed complete dominance in defence, and in the second half, Suresh Jadhav stepped up with five tackle points while Nitesh finished with seven.
“When the defence performs like this – raid machine Arjun Deshwal gets the support he needs to keep scoring points — and that’s exactly what we saw in the match against the Jaipur Pink Panthers,” Rishank said.
Rishank also praised Devank Dalal’s match-winning performance, saying that the Bengal Warriorz captain can never go out of form:
“When Devank Dalal plays, the question of him being out of form doesn’t even arise. No matter which defence he faces, he knows how to score points. The way the raiders of both Patna Pirates and Bengal Warriorz fought for points, Devank wasn’t far behind. He kept going for raids, kept scoring, and in the end, helped his team secure the win with his own strength.”
The Warriorz made a comeback win in the tournament as they beat the Patna Pirates 48-42 in a close tie at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
Speaking of their victory, Rishank said, “In the beginning, it looked like Patna Pirates’ raiders Maninder Singh (12 raid points in 15 raids) and Ayan Lohchab (15 raid points in 18 raids) would run away with the game, as they kept scoring and forcing errors from the Bengal Warriorz’s defence. But the way Ashish Malik of Bengal stepped up in defence turned the tide.
“Even though this is just his third season, the maturity he showed was commendable. From the start, he went for advanced tackles against Maninder and Ayan, which built the pressure. In the end, that defensive brilliance helped Bengal take the match in their favour and secure a hard-fought victory.”
— IANS
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