"We have to keep Pawan out of the game as much as possible" - Tamil Thalaivas' Himanshu Narwal ahead of match with Telugu Titans | PKL 2023-24
The Telugu Titans are going through one of their roughest patches in the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). They will be up against a strong Tamil Thalaivas lineup in their next game at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
The Thalaivas, who have done only marginally better than the Titans, are ranked 10th in the league table at the time of writing with 30 points to their name.
Himanshu Narwal, who is one of the finest raiders that the Thalaivas have, knows the importance of this game, and why they will have to make the most of the opportunities that come their way.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda ahead of the game, Narwal exuded confidence in his team's ability to get the better of the Titans on Wednesday.
"I don't think that the Titans will be particularly easy to beat. They will have their strategy and game plan against us, as will we against them. Our team has a strong plan to take them on and we will have to give our best to win. Yes, they may not be in the best of forms, but they have a very good team. We have to respect that," Narwal said.
"We have to keep Pawan (Sehrawat) out of the game as much as possible. If we are able to keep him out of the game for long periods of time, we will be able to dominate over them. He is one of their key players, and we will have to be prepared to take him out of the game quickly. We cannot let them get on to the front foot," he added.
"Our coach always encourages us to do well and play with freedom" - Himanshu Narwal
Himanshu Narwal was asked about the role that the Thalaivas' coach Ashan Kumar plays in the lead-up to every match.
He spoke highly of Kumar and mentioned how encouraging and motivating his words are for the players whenever they are going through challenging phases.
"Well, our coach always motivates and encourages us to do well and play with freedom. He shows a lot of videos to us and makes us understand the mistakes that we made. These video sessions allow us to learn from our errors and improve quickly," said Narwal.
The crowd in Hyderabad, which has brought the roof down with its antics in all the games that have been held here so far, was also a part of the conversation.
Just like others, Narwal was elated with the support that his team has received in the city of Nizams. However, he knows that it will be a tough ask for them on Wednesday given that they will be playing against the home team. The crowd may not quite cheer for them.
"I think the support here in Hyderabad is excellent. They have cheered for us and supported us even though we are not the home team. I think they will come out in huge numbers on Wednesday as well. We look forward to seeing their support although we know we will be playing against the home team," he concluded.