Pro Kabaddi 2017 Final: Patna Pirates' Pardeep Narwal wins hearts with incredible gesture of respect after win over Gujarat
What's the story?
Patna Pirates won the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 after defeating the Gujarat Fortunegiants with a scoreline of 55-38 in the final. This is their third title in a row and the talisman for them this season has been Pardeep Narwal.
He has been the highest point scorer this season and has broken the all-time record for the most number of points by a player in the Pro Kabaddi League as well. However, right after the final match, he showed that he is not just a man of talent but values as well as he touched the feet of Gujarat Fortunegiants' coach Manpreet Singh as the teams met each other after the match.
In case you didn't know
Pardeep Narwal has scored a humongous 369 points this season, becoming the first player ever to score over 300 points in the Pro Kabaddi League. He was also the highest point scorer in Season 3 when Patna Pirates became the champions for the first time.
The heart of the matter
The moment the game ended Pardeep Narwal amidst the celebrations went on to touch the feet of the opposing team's coach, a rare sight in modern sports. This shows his empathy towards his opponents and belief in the Indian traditions of respecting their 'guru'.
He showed why his a true champion both on and off field. This is a great example of fair play in an extremely physical sport like kabaddi.
What's next?
With the Pro Kabaddi League season 5 now over, Pardeep and the upcoming stars of Indian Kabaddi fraternity should look to make India reach greater heights in international tournaments.
This example of sportsmanship and respect towards coaches should be adopted by every Indian sportsperson possible and seen as an example of high performance while sticking to one's roots.
Author's take
This instinctive step taken by Pardeep is a great one and should be looked upon by every sportsperson. Also, his mercurial rise at such a young age is also truly inspirational.