Not thinking of personal milestones, says Rahul

Hailed and recognised as the ‘Poster Boy’ of Indian kabaddi, the 24-year old’s presence on the mat can’t escape the attention of our vagrant minds. It hasn’t, however, been all plain sailing for his team in the Pro Kabaddi League season five as it has ventured into choppy waters having won only six of its 19 matches. 

With a spot in the super playoffs far from certain, Rahul needs to grapple not just with the opponent but with arithmetic as well if his team is to reach the knockout stage. 

Swimming against the tide has become second nature to Rahul and he puts on a brave face with virtually every match becoming a must-win.

We are confident and it stems from the fact that UP Yoddha has four matches remaining and we have three left. A win in all those three will take us to the playoffs. 

The strategy we so meticulously devised didn’t fetch us the results we wanted. There has been some misunderstanding among the team members. Our defenders failed in getting hold of the key raiders. Our overall failure lay in straying from the plans we had for every opponent. 

I don’t pay any attention to creating or breaking records. My only focus is on helping my team win and in the process if I achieve any personal milestones, it’s good. 

I think of all the defenders in the same way. Individuals don’t matter and it’s hard to single out one player. Once I go for a raid, I think of how to evade the defenders and help my team win points. 

There is no specific reason. He has received a lot of chances. We have confidence in his ability. He has won us some crucial points taking the rival defenders by surprise.