"I dropped football for kabaddi" - Kenya's Daniel Odhiambo talks about his journey to PKL, playing like Pardeep Narwal and more
Daniel Odhiambo is one of the few Kenyan players participating in this year's Pro Kabaddi League. For the third consecutive season, Odhiambo found a place in the Patna Pirates squad.
The Kenyan all-rounder made his debut for Patna in Season 8, where he scored two points in one match. In Season 9, Odhiambo received two opportunities to play, and he scored a total of nine points.
Patna Pirates will likely give Odhiambo more chances to play in PKL 10. Before playing his first match of the season, the Kenyan kabaddi star caught up with Sportskeeda for an exclusive chat. Here are the excerpts:
Excerpts from Daniel Odhimabo's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda
Q. Tell us about your kabaddi journey.
Daniel Odhiambo: It started around 2016 when I met my kabaddi coach in Kenya. I used to play football. Then I happened to meet him. He approached me and told me about kabaddi. He asked if I could join. That's how I came to know about kabaddi. I joined the sport.
I dropped football for kabaddi. So, I started to concentrate fully on kabaddi. I have been watching Pro Kabaddi League. It was a dream to join this league one day. So, I worked really hard for it. I learned kabaddi and then I played Junior World Cup. I kept getting better and better. With experience, I accomplished my dream.
I got more interested and I fulfilled my dream of joining Pro Kabaddi League after a lot of hard work. There were many, many challenges, but kabaddi is becoming more popular in my country. We have our tournaments and even a national kabaddi league in Kenya. It will take some time, but it will become popular.
Through our national kabaddi league, we are getting more people, we are having fun, and kabaddi is growing.
Q. How has your experience at Patna Pirates been so far in PKL 10?
Daniel Odhiambo: My experience has been good. It has been fantastic with the Patna Pirates. I was with Patna Pirates in Season 8 and 9. When I am with Patna Pirates, I feel happy. I feel like I am at home. I feel relaxed.
Q. How does it feel knowing that PKL will happen in 12 cities once again this season?
Daniel Odhiambo: It feels good. Having fans is inspiring for us, players, unlike at home in Kenya, where we play with no fans.
Q. Who is your role-model in kabaddi?
Daniel Odhiambo: Before I started playing kabaddi, I started watching for Pardeep. The first name I noticed was Pardeep Narwal. I always wanted to be like a player like him. Maybe some day, I will become like him.
Q. Which is the one team you think can challenge Patna Pirates in PKL 10?
Daniel Odhiambo: Maybe, Puneri Paltan.
Q. Any favorite Indian dishes?
Daniel Odhiambo: My favorite is plain rice (laughs). I think I like to eat food, which is not spicy. I'm getting used to Indian food. I once had Puri-Bhaji in the morning. I also had Dal, Roti and Chicken Tikka.
Q. Do you face any communication barriers? How do you get past it?
Daniel Odhiambo: Barriers, of course, yes, but at least a few of them are good with English.
Q. Having played PKL, the onus will be on you to teach your teammates more skills. With the talks of a kabaddi World Cup happening next year, how important will be this season in terms of your learnings and what you take home?
Daniel Odhiambo: In Pro Kabaddi League, I am getting more time to work on my skills. I am learning new things. When I go back there, I'll teach my teammates more skills which I learn from India.
A couple of Kenyan players are a part of PKL this time. The next 3-4 months will be important for us. Come next year, we should be good to go.