"Ajay Thakur showed us the path of how to make it big in Pro Kabaddi" - Vishal Bhardwaj talks about rise of Himachal Pradesh players in PKL
Vishal Bhardwaj is one of the most successful defenders in Pro Kabaddi League history. The Dabang Delhi KC vice-captain has scored 314 tackle points in his career so far and holds the 10th position on the all-time list of Most Tackle Points.
Bhardwaj's PKL journey has been full of ups and downs. Despite being a part of the Asian Games-winning Indian squad last year, Bhardwaj went unsold at the auction. Dabang Delhi KC later signed him, and he has been an integral part of the team ever since.
Vishal Bhardwaj hails from Himachal Pradesh, a state which is not known for producing kabaddi players. However, the number of talents emerging from that part of the country has gone up in recent years.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Bhardwaj said that veteran Ajay Thakur's rise to the top played a big role in inspiring a whole generation of kabaddi talents in Himachal Pradesh.
"Like I am from Himachal Pradesh and Ajay Thakur bhaisahab and Rohit Rana are also from Himachal, so these people used to tell us how we have to work hard in our game and how can we play Pro Kabaddi," he said.
"Ajay Thakur showed us the path of how to make it big in PKL. After that, we practiced hard and gave trials which led to our selection in Pro Kabaddi. That's why I want to tell the young players to keep working hard and perform brilliantly in their respective opportunities," Bhardwaj added.
Ajay Thakur was one of the first superstars of the Pro Kabaddi League. He is currently ninth on the all-time list of best raiders, with 794 raid points. During his PKL career, Thakur turned up for Bengaluru Bulls, Puneri Paltan, Tamil Thalaivas, and Dabang Delhi KC.
Delhi even appointed him as their assistant coach for Season 10, but he had to pull out due to personal reasons. Joginder Narwal later joined the Delhi coaching staff.
Himachal Pradesh does not have facilities for kabaddi players like Haryana: Vishal Bhardwaj
Haryana has been a hub of kabaddi for a long time. A majority of the top talents in the PKL hail from Haryana.
Vishal Bhardwaj said, however, that there isn't a big difference between players of Himachal and Haryana. He believes the facilities in their state are not the same as Haryana's.
"There is not much difference between the players of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. There is simply a lack of facilities in our state which is not there in Haryana. There are many academies in Haryana, where good facilities are available, but now slowly talents are emerging from Himachal. This season also 6 to 7 players are playing," Vishal Bhardwaj said.
Vishal Bhardwaj has experience of 114 PKL matches. When asked about the advice he gives to youngsters, Bhardwaj said:
"All the new players practice on mud in the village or on mats at the academy but when they see the glamour of Pro Kabaddi, they discover something new. In such a situation, we tell them how to adjust to the environment here and ask them to focus on their game."
Bhardwaj's team Dabang Delhi KC is currently playing on its home turf at the Thayagraj Indoor Stadium. Delhi will play its last home match of PKL 10 against the Jaipur Pink Panthers tonight (February 7).