Interview with Jeeva Kumar: "In Pro Kabaddi, you have to be alert in every match"

Jeeva Kumar

When talking about kabaddi, it’s easy to get caught up in the attacking prowess of some of the teams in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. But last year, it was U Mumba’s watertight defence that propelled them to the final of the competition. Playing a consuming forty minutes requires thinking on your feet, which is exactly what U Mumba’s veteran defender Jeeva Kumar does with military precision.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Kumar talks about his team mates, the quality of the league and the opponents to watch out for in the upcoming Pro Kabaddi League, season 2.

Here are the excerpts:

Q. This year your team has two new homegrown players Onkar Jadhav (21) and Vinod Atyalkar (22), who have been promoted to the senior team, can you talk a bit about them?

Both the players are highly skilled at what they do, but with some more experience playing regularly at the top, I am sure they will prove to be great additions to our team. You know it’s about the little details that matter in kabaddi; For example, the raider might have a chance to secure a point for this team, but if a situation demands, he ought to be mature enough to not go for it.

Q. You will face Jaipur Pink Panthers in this season’s opener, what are your thoughts about them heading into the game?

Well, Jaipur are a quality team and there is no doubt about that. But, you must remember that last year Shabeer Bapu, one of our crucial raiders missed a large chunk of the tournament. This season, he looks fit and ready to go. In the end the team that plays intelligently will in. I won’t say there is a favorite in this match. It looks pretty even.

Q. Who do you reckon will prove to be stiff competition this season? Any particular teams that have impressed you?

Well every team looks good as of right now. In such a format, the team that wants it more on the day will take home the points. But if you ask me, Patna Pirates and Bengaluru Bulls have impressed me and will definitely be hard to beat.

Q. How would you compare playing in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi for U Mumba and playing for your state/club?

There is a huge difference. Generally when you play tournaments, out of the many matches that we play, only 3-4 end up being really difficult. But in the Pro Kabaddi League, we need to be alert from the first match itself. Every team plays at a very high level.

Sometimes we end up playing and winning a physically exhausting match which feels extremely good. But at the same time, we have no time to slack off. The next game is equally important and we have to be in peak physical condition to keep pace with the competitive nature of the game.