Pro Kabaddi 2019: "Fazel treats me like a brother," says U Mumba's emerging raider Abhishek Singh
U Mumba are one of the most illustrious teams of the Pro Kabaddi League, having won the Pro Kabaddi title back in Season 2 under the captaincy of Anup Kumar. He led his team to three consecutive finals from Season 1 to Season 3.
Fazel Atrachali was announced as the captain of U Mumba back in Season 6. They managed to enter the playoffs with ease with the raiding brilliance of Siddharth Desai who was adjudged the 'Emerging Player of the Tournament' last year. Raiders such as Abhishek Singh and Arjun Deshwal were also the finds for the team last year.
The team opted on retaining Abhishek Singh and Arjun Deshwal for this season. Singh has carried on the team's offense after his switch of roles from a do-or-die raider to becoming the lead raider of the side. He has been a standout performer with 6 Super 10s to his name thus far this season.
Sportskeeda sat down with U Mumba's emerging raider Abhishek Singh as he gave insights on his journey thus far in the league.
Q. How would you reflect on your Pro Kabaddi journey thus far?
A: I have enjoyed my time playing for U Mumba in these two seasons. It has been a great time where I have learned to adapt to and innovate new skills in my arsenal under different mentors. Playing under the captaincy of Fazel is the best part of my starting days as he treats me like a brother and teaches me a lot.
Q. How is Fazel Atrachali as a captain? Is there any language barrier that the other teammates face?
A: The good thing with Fazel is he can speak Hindi and understands words. In Kabaddi, you do not need to be fluent in communication. Every player understands their role in the team. A face gesture is enough to specify what a raider/defender needs to do next.
Fazel has been humble from my starting days here. He advises me whom to target for raid points before heading into every single raid. He understands the defensive combination of the opposition. You don't see defenders being cheerful during the match most often. Fazel remains composed even if we win or lose the game.
Q. You didn't get enough chances last year. This year, you're the lead raider for U Mumba. Do you face any pressure of such responsibility?
A: Yes, there is pressure once you are the leading raid points scorer of the team. But I do not let this pressure overtake my confidence heading into every match. I get myself mentally prepared for the upcoming encounter and plan to execute my skills with precision.
Q. Among all the 12 teams, whose defensive unit did you find the most difficult to read?
A: All teams have different combinations in the defense and have their strategy. Gujarat Fortune Giants have one of the best covers in Sunil and Parvesh. Their combination tackle is enough to take down raiders of any calibre. Puneri Paltan have a good defense as well.
Q. What are your plans moving forward?
A: I look to extend my career by performing well in the league itself. It is one of the biggest platforms to showcase your talent as a player. I started playing kabaddi after the Pro Kabaddi League started and luckily I got selected because of my performance in the Nationals. I have an experience of 3-4 years playing kabaddi now, and I am looking forward to improving myself day by day.