The tale of the two corners 'SuMo'
"Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." It is not only a quote noted on a piece of paper, it occurs virtually even in the (13×10)m court of Kabaddi.
For Kabaddi fans like us, the first thing that strikes our mind after hearing 'brotherliness', 'unity', 'jodi', etc. is the two best corner defenders of India, Surender Nada and Mohit Chhillar (SuMo).
Surender Nada and Mohit Chhillar are termed as the most fatal left and right corner combo in the game of Kabaddi even till now. Whether they've played together in Pro Kabaddi or for team India, they're considered the backbone of their respective defensive set up.
But for these two players, it wasn't about strategic combination. It was faith that if one is headed for trouble, the other is ready to make the save.
Both of these corners have achieved immense records in Pro Kabaddi league as a unit having played together for the initial five seasons. Devoting their services to teams like Mumbai, Bengaluru Bulls and Haryana Steelers, Nada has 218 tackle points in 70 matches (3.11 tackle point per match) and Chhillar having 209 tackle points in 77 matches (2.71 tackle points per match).
Nada is known to be an 'ankle hold specialist' with his tightened grasp over the ankles and Chhillar who is the best when it comes to frontal blocks and chain tackles.
It was PKL season 1 when Mohit Chhillar had already arrived into the Kabaddi scene before and Surender Nada who was picked after the auction was over just to fill in the left corner gap. But Nada was totally new to the game and wanted to leave a permanent impression.
PKL started and we witnessed various combination tackles between the two, the most famous one being 'ankle hold combined with a dash from the opposite corner'.
Matches passed on and this duo became much more fierce. They'd communicate on the court and knew what the other was about to do. Their sign language and eye to eye contact was enough to decimate any raider on court.
This duo had persistently remained intact until season 3 came by when the coach of UMumba, E. Bhaskaran decided to make some changes when he played Fazel Atrachali in the left corner combined with Mohit on the right.
Surely it wasn't a bad thing as both of them consisted of individual brilliance on the court but then came a moment in the finale of season 3 when Nada (a big match player) was brought on as a substitution and both him and Mohit tackled Pardeep Narwal in such a precise thigh hold supported by an upper body hold which is still a nostalgic memory to a lot of fans till now. They proved they were best individually, but together they were better.
They donned different coloured jerseys together as a unit when they played for Bengaluru Bulls and also for Team India for KWC 2016. For team India, coach Balwan Singh tried having new combinations in the corners like Chillar -Cherelathan and Nada - Narwal combo but whenever they were given the chance to play together, they outclassed the top raiders of the game.
They also played for Haryana Steelers in season 5 where Nada was captaining the team with Mohit being the vice-captain.
From season 1 to season 5, what we've seen is a transition among SuMo being young lads led by a father like an instructor in Anup Kumar to becoming leaders in their own prime. Surely the team management of Haryana Steelers played a role of antagonist in season 6 auctions when they used FBM on Surender Nada but didn't opt for Mohit Chhillar.
It came as a heartbreak more than a surprise for a lot of Kabaddians around India. But yes, it's the obvious truth now from which we need to move on. PKL 6 will be the first time when these two will be donning two different jerseys, one with blue and the other with pink.
I mentioned a quote earlier, "Unity is strength." and these two are the best inspiration for Kabaddi fans around the globe synonym to brotherhood which brings a cheerfulness in our faces when we see them together. As Kabaddi grows over the years to come, this duo's memory will always last till they cross paths in the same team again.