"Naveen Kumar will lead the raid attack, I will take care of the defense"- Vishal Bhardwaj excited to be vice-captain of Dabang Delhi KC in PKL 10
Dabang Delhi KC vice-captain Vishal Bhardwaj is looking forward to making his debut for the season eight champions in PKL 10. Delhi signed Bhardwaj at the Pro Kabaddi 2023 auction last month.
Vishal is one of the most successful defenders in Pro Kabaddi League history. He has earned 288 tackle points in 99 PKL matches. On the all-time defenders' leaderboard, Vishal holds 10th position.
Having won the gold medal with Team India at the Asian Kabaddi Championships and Asian Games this year, Vishal Bhardwaj is ready to start a new chapter at Dabang Delhi KC now.
Ahead of Delhi's first PKL game against Tamil Thalaivas on December 3, Sportskeeda caught up with Vishal Bhardwaj for an exclusive chat.
Excerpts from Vishal Bhardwaj's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda:
Q. Hey Vishal, how are you? Congratulations on being appointed the vice-captain of Dabang Delhi KC. How has your experience been so far?
Vishal Bhardwaj: I'm feeling good. The Delhi team is good. We have some experienced coaches. The management is really good.
Q. The year has been good for you so far. You won the Asian Kabaddi Championships, the Asian Games gold medal and now you are all set to play for Dabang Delhi KC.
Vishal Bhardwaj: I felt really good because last time we missed out on the Asian Games gold, but this time, we have won the gold medal. Two players from Delhi played in the Asian Games as well. So, our team looks good. We are trying to motivate ourselves for the new season now.
Q. You went unsold in the first round of PKL Auction 2023. How did you feel about it?
Vishal Bhardwaj: I felt really bad. I was in India's camp for five to six months. There was no injury issue. I could not believe it. Even the 12 players who were with me could not believe it. It was not that I was an extra player. I was in the main team. But it's okay, maybe it was destined to be like that.
Q. How did you feel when Dabang Delhi KC signed you?
Vishal Bhardwaj: When I went unsold for the first time, I was very demotivated. I thought my career was over because it takes time for any player to make a comeback in the Pro Kabaddi League. Next day, Dabang Delhi KC bought me, showed faith in me. I will try to justify my selection.
Q. You were with Telugu Titans last season. The team did not perform well, but you did a decent job. Do you think the individual performance gets sidelined when the team does not perform well?
Vishal Bhardwaj: Yes, of course. Our team was really good last season. We had so many experienced players. The team was very strong on paper. There was a lot of pressure as well, and it impacted the performance. We kept on losing matches, and the pressure was increasing due to that.
We had so many senior players. So, there was some extra pressure as well. It affected the performance also.
Q. Telugu Titans' defense had experienced names like Surjeet Singh, Parvesh Bhainswal and Ravinder Pahal. This year, Dabang Delhi KC does not have that much experience in defense. You are the most experienced defender, so how much does your responsibility increase?
Vishal Bhardwaj: It is hard to control the youngsters, but these guys have played in local tournaments. So we will try to control them. I am here. Naveen Kumar is here, we have Sunil also. We have experience. You need experience to perform in the Pro Kabaddi League. We are trying our best to motivate and guide them. I believe they will do a great job.
Q. Your strength is playing aggressively, but it has also proven to be your weakness. At times, teams even substituted you. This year, you are the most experienced defender in the team. So how will you manage that?
Vishal Bhardwaj: Yes, our coach has been helping me get better with that. Coach sir has told me to spend as much time on the mat as possible because we have youngsters in the team. If I get out early, they will be under more pressure. We have been working hard on that.
Q. You are among the top 10 defenders in PKL. How do you reflect on your career?
Vishal Bhardwaj: It was going well, but in the last one or two seasons, my performance has not been up to the mark. Now, I have joined Dabang Delhi KC. My goal is to take the team forward and also improve my individual performance.
Q. Ajay Thakur is no longer with the team now, but he is from Himachal also. Did you have any conversation with him?
Vishal Bhardwaj: Yes, he told me that we have shown faith in you because you have played at the Asian Games. I will try to justify that.
Q. Vishal, you have played with Naveen for India at the Asian Games. You know each other well now. How important will that be for Delhi?
Vishal Bhardwaj: See, it will be very important. Naveen is an excellent raider. He will lead the raid attack. I will take care of the defense. I will control the defense. Also, I will try to control myself. Naveen has been playing for Delhi for quite some time now. He knows everything well. Whatever coach sir tells us, we will do.
Q. Tell us about the difference in atmosphere at Dabang Delhi KC as compared to Telugu Titans and Anup Kumar's Puneri Paltan?
Vishal Bhardwaj: There is no major difference. I know people from before. For example, Sangram bhai was the manager at Puneri Paltan when I played for them in season eight. So, there's nothing like that. The management is good here.
Q. Have you set any personal goals here?
Vishal Bhardwaj: The first goal is to take the team to playoffs and the next goal is to win the trophy. After that, I will consider my individual performance. If the team performs well, my performance will also be good.
Q. Any personal records you want to achieve?
Vishal Bhardwaj: No personal records in mind as such. The goal is to take the team forward.
Q. What is going to be the biggest challenge for you this season?
Vishal Bhardwaj: The biggest challenge is that I have to control the youngsters. There are 10 such players in our squad who will play in PKL for the first time. The challenge is to take the team to the playoffs.
Q. Who has been the toughest raider you have played against?
Vishal Bhardwaj: I think there isn't any raider whom I have not tackled. It all depends on timing. No one has been the toughest.