Pawan Sehrawat - The next big thing in Indian kabaddi
The new vice-captain of the Indian kabaddi team, Pawan Sehrawat, has quickly turned from an unknown young kabaddi player to a match-winner on the mat. Sehrawat started playing kabaddi in 2010, however, he received his family’s backing only after the beginning of the Pro Kabaddi League.
After working hard in the domestic circuit for nearly six years, Pawan earned his first PKL contract with the Bengaluru Bulls in season three. The youngster impressed the fans in his debut season and he finished as the highest points scorer for the Bengaluru franchise. Randhir Singh kept him in the squad for the season that followed, although his performance dipped.
Soon, he found himself in the auction. The Gujarat Fortune Giants snapped him next but even Manpreet Singh could not unearth the talent in him. It seemed like Pawan was just like many other Indian young raiders who played well in just a solitary season.
That was when Sehrawat changed his life. He practiced a lot of new skills and implemented them on the kabaddi mat. He earned the nickname of the ‘High Flier’ for his incredible performances while playing for the Railways team. Pawan’s new avatar earned him a mega contract with the Bengaluru Bulls ahead of season six.
Randhir Singh then trained Pawan himself, and he guided the Bengaluru Bulls to their first PKL championship. The running hand touch specialist scored 282 points for his side which included 13 super 10s.
His numbers improved a lot in season seven as he shattered a lot of Pro Kabaddi records in 2019. Playing against the Haryana Steelers, Pawan had scored 39 points in a match to maul the opposition defenders. He recorded 18 Super 10s in 24 games and finished the season with a staggering 360 points. Although Bengaluru could not defend their crown successfully, they have given a gem of a raider to the Indian team.
Also Read - South Asian Games 2019: 5 things you may not know about Pawan Sehrawat
The South Asian Games will be Pawan’s first major test at the international level. He has represented India earlier but it will be intriguing to see how he performs as the Indian kabaddi team’s vice-captain.