"Offence Wins Games, Defence Wins Championships." This adage is common in the footballing world but seems true when it comes kabaddi as well. The defenders are the ones who do the dirty work with their tackles and holds, and although their efforts do get recognition and appreciation it is nowhere close to the adulation that the raiders enjoy.
In a group stage, which was dominated by the raiders, there were a few defenders who swam against the tide to leave their mark on the tournament. Offering a good, solid foundation for their teams, they are the real anchors around whom the raiders’ exploits revolve.
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The defence which provides solidarity and security with the strong ankle and thigh holds to the mighty body blocks and chain tackles, is instrumental to any teams’ success. Here’s a look at the 5 best defenders who proved their mettle at the World Cup:
#5 Surjeet (India)
In the shadows of Manjeet Chhillar and Dharmaraj Cheralathan, two of the most experienced defending campaigners emerged the young gun Surjeet. He has averaged around 3.4 successful tackles per match, and been all but threatening in the cover position for the Indian team playing in combination with Manjeet Chhillar.
His captain at U Mumba and the national team, Anup Kumar has shown immense faith in his abilities by drafting him in the starting 7 since the very first match at the World Cup. The man from the heartland of kabaddi in India, Sonipat in Haryana has unfailingly proved his worth with 17 successful tackles that puts him on the leaderboard.
Surjeet has really come into his own in his last two outings against England and Argentina with his body blocks and thigh holds that have caused him to become a formidable aspect of the Indian team. He will surely be a player to watch out for in the semi-finals and the finals if the team crosses the former hurdle.
#4 Takamitsu Kono (Japan)
Legend has it that Lord Buddha had himself played kabaddi, today in the 21st century we have a Buddhist monk in Takamitsu Kono, following in his footsteps and representing Japan at the World Cup.
What’s more, he’s finished on the leaderboard with a total of 19 points to his name, emerging as a wall in the defence for his team. “I like the fact that the sport is all about team work. Personally, it has helped me build my personality,” Kono was quoted as saying to the Hindustan Times.
The Dabang Delhi player had the best game against the mighty Thailand in their last group encounter where he amassed 8 points, 4 of which had come of Super Tackles, a testament to his skills and defensive prowess.
#3 James Odhiambo Obilo (Kenya)
With 18 successful tackles, Obila sits pretty on the third position on the leaderboard in that category. He had a relatively quiet start to the tournament with a string of poor scores, particularly in the matches against Poland, Iran and Thailand with just 2 tackle points.
However, the agile and mighty defender erased the blemish of his unsuccessful attempts when he bounced back with a new world record of 13 tackle points in a single match against the Japanese, wherein he powered his team to a 27-48 victory.
With a strike rate of 3.6 and a total of 22 points to his credit, James has rightly earned the repute of a daunting defender and will be a key player to notice in the next instalment of Pro Kabaddi.
#2 Jasvir Singh (Australia)
Jasvir Singh is one fierce defender. The cornerstone of the Australian team had a good outing at the World Cup despite the fact that his team did not have a good run and languished at the fifth position in Pool A.
But akin to his namesake in the Indian team, Jasvir who is one of the three professional kabaddi players in the national squad amassed a total of 19 total points at the World Cup.
He will have a lot of credit to be attributed to former Indian national team player Navneet Gautam, who was the coach of the Australian team and a defender par excellence in his prime. With a strike rate of 3.8 successful tackles per match, he was surely a force to reckon with especially in the clash against Argentina where he claimed a Super 10.
#1 Sabuj Mia (Bangladesh)
A defensive all-rounder, Sabuj Mia tipped his country to win the silver medal at the World Cup before the start of the tournament, and his efforts were rightly dedicated to that dream and emerged as the best defender on the leaderboard with the highest number of successful tackles, 21 in total.
He displayed the ankle hold, his favourite move to perfection with a lethal strike rate of 4.2 tackles per game which on many occasions left the opposition’s attacking and aggressive raiders unsettled when they entered the Bangladeshi half.
He was a livewire on the kabaddi mat, using his experience and power to great effect to stop the raiders in their tracks. Sabuj Mia, has definitely proved himself in the tournament, it remains to be seen which team will opt for his services in the next season of Pro Kabaddi.
