"I felt there was no way a raider could dominate him" - Ashish Malik on getting inspired by Surender Nada, competing with Vishal Bhardwaj, and more
Ashish Malik made his Pro Kabaddi League debut for Dabang Delhi KC in the ongoing season. Playing his first season, the left-corner defender has scored 32 tackle points in just 12 games so far. He has maintained an impressive tackle strike rate of more than 50%.
Team India's left-corner defender Vishal Bhardwaj is the vice-captain of Dabang Delhi KC. Young Ashish has been competing with Vishal for a spot in the playing seven. The team management has preferred the player with better form in recent matches.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Ashish opened up on his inspiration, competing with Vishal Bhardwaj, Rambir Singh Khokhar's coaching, and much more. Here are the excerpts.
Excerpts from Ashish Malik's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda
Q. Tell us about your kabaddi journey.
Ashish Malik: I have been playing kabaddi since 2014. There were a lot of seniors who were playing kabaddi in my village. I learned kabaddi from them. I have played one Junior Federation Cup and one Junior World Cup, and I have won gold medals in both of them. Now, this is my first PKL season, where I am playing for Dabang Delhi KC.
Q. PKL is a completely different tournament, compared to other kabaddi competitions. How did you feel before your PKL debut?
Ashish Malik: See, we used to play on proper mud courts first. After a few years, we would play some matches on mud courts and some on mat. Just before coming to PKL, I played two-three tournaments, which were on mat only.
Yes, you can say that the pressure is more here because the audience is bigger, the lights are more. If I focus on that, the pressure will be there. If I don't focus on it, my performance will be good.
Q. What has been the biggest challenge for you in your kabaddi journey so far?
Ashish Malik: The challenge has been the concern of injuries. Injuries can demotivate a player. Some players sit at home after being demotivated due to injuries. When I got injured, my family members and coach sir motivated me and I recovered and came back. For a player, the biggest challenge is recovering from injuries.
Q. How has been the support from family members?
Ashish Malik: I was not that good at studies. Initially, when I would go out in the evening, my family members thought I am going for a walk. Then, they came to know that I am playing kabaddi. They thought my academic skills are not the best.
So, when I started playing kabaddi tournaments and performed well, my family backed me. And when I played Junior Federation Cup and Junior World Cup, they were convinced that I can do well in kabaddi.
Q. What have been your recent conversations with your family and people of your village, now that your matches are live on TV?
Ashish Malik: My family members are happy. When I perform well, they appreciate me. When I do not perform well, they point out my mistakes. They are happy to see me on TV.
Q. How has been your experience of working with Joginder Narwal?
Ashish Malik: Joginder Narwal has been a star defender. My experience of working with him has been really good. He motivates us a lot. He has mentioned how important it is for us defenders to stay on the ground for a longer time instead of going for tackles all the time.
If we are on the ground, the tackles will happen automatically. It is very important for the corner defenders to stay on the mat. With raiders, the thing is he will score sometimes, but when the defense supports him, he gets motivated and raids freely. Coach sir tells us not to chase the raider, but let the raider come towards us.
Q. What have you learned from head coach Rambir Singh Khokhar?
Ashish Malik: Coach sir is the oldest coach of this season. He has a ton of experience. He also teaches us new skills and techniques, and he supports us. The specialty of our team is that we have the oldest coach and the newest coach in kabaddi. So, the team is performing well because of that blend.
Q. Who has been your idol in kabaddi?
Ashish Malik: Surender Nada and Fazel Atrachali. In the beginning, when I saw Nada sir, I felt that there was no way a raider could dominate him. He performed really well. In raiding, my idol has been Anup Kumar sir.
Q. How does it feel competing with Vishal Bhardwaj for the left corner position in Dabang Delhi KC?
Ashish Malik: See, there is no competition. Vishal bhaisahab is senior to me. We are playing for the team. It's not like I am competing with Vishal or trying to do better than him. Vishal is a great player. He even won the Asian Games gold medal recently. There is no competition with him. I respect him a lot, and even he treats me as his younger brother.
Q. Ashu Malik has been the captain of Dabang Delhi KC ever since Naveen Kumar got injured. What is the difference between their captaincy styles?
Ashish Malik: There is no major difference. Ashu behaves with us really well, just like Naveen Kumar bhaisahab. Just like Naveen would make us understand things, Ashu does the same job.
Q. The match against U Mumba was full of ups and downs. How did it feel defeating U Mumba in Mumbai?
Ashish Malik: Initially, the defense did not perform well. After that, the defense improved. Yogesh did a fine back-hold. Manjeet and Ashubhai scored raid points when needed. We got the lead, stabilized the game and then won.
Q. Do you have any particular raider in mind whom you wish to tackle in PKL 10?
Ashish Malik: No, it would be wrong to take any names. It depends on the match situation.
Q. Okay before going, please tell us the story behind Manjeet Sharma's new haircut.
Ashish Malik: Manjeet Sharma's hairline has receded a bit. If anyone has any solution, please tell us (smiles).