Baskaran upbeat about a turnaround

The reasons are two-fold for him exuding a jaunty disposition. After a less than impressive start in Pro Kabaddi League, the Thalaivas has lately showed signs of gelling together, ridding itself of its birth pangs, as could be seen in its two come-from behind wins against Bengal Warriors and Gujarat Fortune giants. 

Stringing together a nice sequence of wins, the 49-year-old coach was optimistic of taking off on a bull-run during the Chennai leg. 

“I always had the belief in this young squad. The franchise owners gave me a free hand in assembling the team. We knew before our first match that we were a little short on experience. But I’m glad that the boys had shown fortitude when things were going against us. The whole team took it as a challenge when the odds were stacked against us and I’m impressed with the discipline and attitude shown by the younger members of the team,” said Baskaran. 

The only time Baskaran appeared with a long face was when he was asked if he was disappointed at missing out on picking raider K Selvamani.  “Of course, we would have loved to have had him. He was one of the star players last year and above all he is a local talent. But we preferred to tilt towards youth and I’m sure it will pay off. Unfortunately Selvamani got injured in the initial stages of the league and it is something we couldn’t have risked,” added the coach. 

For someone who has worked extensively with the team captain, Ajay Thakur, it was only obvious that he would be asked about the peerless raider in the country and the attributes that set him apart. “Ajay is energetic and brings a lot of dynamism to the mat. He shows a lot of involvement and being the most experienced player, he also shoulders the responsibility of guiding the youngsters. I can’t say how proud I’m to be working with him again. That said, this is a team game and Ajay also acknowledges that every player should contribute to the team’s cause and one individual alone can’t work wonders,” analysed Baskaran. 

About the game against Puneri Paltan, the coach said they have their strategies in place and if the team succeeds in making 60 per cent of it click, they can be confident of a win. “We know how tough our opponent can be. Puneri has accomplished players in Deepak Hooda and Sandeep Narwal. So, it won’t be easy. We will also be banking on the crowd support,” concluded Baskaran. The stock market analysts, though, will not share his optimism about his team going on a bull-run!