"He should have come back” - Randhir Sehrawat fumes at ‘immature’ Bharat Hooda after Bengaluru Bulls' first win in PKL
Bengaluru Bulls head coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat was left livid with start raider Bharat Hooda even though the side secured their first win in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 10 on Monday, December 11, at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Bulls beat UP Yoddhas 38-36 after facing four straight defeats to start their campaign on the bottom side of the table. Raiders Vikash Khandola and Bharat bagged a Super 10 (11 points each) to put their team in a winning position.
However, coach Randhir wasn't happy with Bharat's decision during a super tackle when the match was at its climax. Explaining about his frustration in the post-match press conference:
"Bharat has not been matured now. Looking at the match situation, Bharat went and the defender got out. Bharat should have come back. There was a super tackle and we didn’t need that. We were not in a hurry."
The Bulls coach added:
"Twenty seconds were down and Bharat had to come back. Where it should have been a one-side finish it went two ways. I asked Bharat to come back. He didn’t listen and was in his own world."
"He has a lot of talent but was going down" - Randhir Sehrawat on Vikash Khandola
Vikash Khandola didn't start for the Bulls in their previous game against the Haryana Steelers, which they lost by a margin of 38-32. The 24-year-old didn't have an ideal start on the mat, accumulating just nine points in four matches. But Vikash stepped up to not just shun the noise around his form but also lead his side to a thrilling win in the end.
Speaking on Vikash's secrete promise ahead of the match, coach Randhir said:
"Just before the match, he (Vikash Kandola) told me one good thing. He said, ‘I will get you the match.’ I felt it was a good thing since the morale was boosting in the team."
He added:
"He has a lot of talent but was going down (in terms of performance). He had the reach and the finish, he is doing superbly. Bengaluru Bulls is known for its comeback and I have hopes (the players) will do well."
With just four minutes to go, Bengaluru Bulls were in a commanding position at 36-26. However, the home team conceded eight points and scored none when they were all out with just a few seconds left on the clock.
It was a respite in the Bulls camp when Surjeet forced Pardeep Narwal to return after the forward moved forward to lead the defence ahead of the rest.
"Four matches we lost but the opposition hasn’t won those. Surjit made a mistake in the first match and we lost the last match by two points. If we start reducing these mistakes, then slowly we will go up (on the points table). I admit we have made mistakes but a bit less and I am hopeful that they will try to change them," Randhir concluded on the team's performance in the final stage.
Bengaluru Bulls will next be in action against defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers on Sunday, December 13, at the same venue. This clash will also be the final game of the Bengaluru leg.