Bajrang Punia doesn't showcase his skills; he tires out his opponent: Ajay Thakur highlights the importance of fitness

Former Indian kabaddi team captain Ajay Thakur participated in a rapid-fire round during his appearance on the premiere episode of Pro Kabaddi's Instagram show Beyond The Mat - Season II. The host asked The Iceman to name his favorite sportsperson outside of the kabaddi world, and Thakur wasted no time in taking Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia's name.

Thakur said that he always believed fitness was more important in sports than skills. In his view, Bajrang Punia had the same approach to his game as he would tire out his opponents and then finish off the match with his skills.

He leads from the front no matter the field, but there's no place like home for Ajay Thakur! pic.twitter.com/Fej7ka1jr9

— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 7, 2020

Ajay Thakur explains why he loves the way Bajrang Punia wrestles

Bajrang Punia has made the nation proud with his excellent performances on the wrestling mat. He has won a silver medal and two bronze medals at the World Wrestling Championships and won the gold medal in the 65 kg category of the Asian Games in 2018.

When asked to name his favorite sport and sportsperson outside of kabaddi, Ajay Thakur responded:

"My favorite sport is volleyball, but my favorite sportsperson is Bajrang Punia. He's a wrestler who showcases my earlier point of fitness vs. skill. If you watch him play, you will forget skills and only focus on his fitness. He doesn't showcase skills; he just tires out the opponent and overpowers them."

Ajay Thakur has been away from the kabaddi mat for a long time now. The PKL organizers recently gave an update on the league's eighth season, saying that they would conduct the tournament when the COVID-19 situation in India improved.

Happy birthday champion @BajrangPunia 🎂 India is proud of you 🙌🏻👏🏻😊 pic.twitter.com/woVm4hkADL

— Sakshi Malik (@SakshiMalik) October 2, 2020

Bajrang Punia qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, but unfortunately, the event got delayed by a year. Punia will aim to train hard during this break and win a medal for India in the 2021 Olympics.