Jaipur Pink Panthers captain Navneet Gautam says PKL has transformed kabaddi

Navneet Gautam

Jaipur Pink Panthers steamrolled through all the opponents in the first season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) storming their way to the title with a win over U Mumbai in the final. Led by the Indian international, Navneet Gautam, the Panthers had a brilliant season losing just 3 matches out of 16.

Navneet Gautam is no unknown name in the world of kabaddi having won gold medals in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. The defender from Rajasthan was also part of the all-conquering Indian team that won the World Cup and Indoor Asian Games in Vietnam and Macau.

He spoke about the PKL and a variety of topics on a telephonic interview. Here are the excerpts:

Q. How has Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League changed your life?

People’s perception has changed towards us. Whoever we meet, recognises us, wherever we go, people surround us. They want to click selfies with us, seek autographs and photographs. They are curious about us and recognise us even at small places.

Life has dramatically changed since Star Sports Pro Kabaddi, we are getting recognized and the sport is getting a well-deserved share of spotlight. Also a platform like the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has given the older players like me a reason to continue for a few more years and play as long as possible.

Q. You are enjoying the celebrity status. But, are there any drawbacks of being this famous?

Who doesn’t want to famous; but yes there are a few drawbacks as well. Since the training schedules are very tight alongside other engagements, I personally am not able to give enough time to my family. They often complain. I But, you have to sacrifice something to achieve something bigger.

Q. Is being the reigning champions of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi an advantage, or does it put that extra bit of pressure on you and the team?

I think we have more advantage and are under less pressure. The sides which play against us would be extra cautious while we being champions would be expected to deliver every single time we step out there.

Q. As a skipper, what’s the greatest challenge for you and how do you tackle it?

For any skipper, in any team sport the greatest challenge is to make the team win. Kabaddi is a game where strategies change within whiskers and it is my responsibility to get my team to adapt to that. As a captain, I try and keep myself as calm as possible but at the same time make sure that the boys are all pumped up.

Q. The other sides would be better prepared against your team this time. They would have watched your videos and would know the weak zones. How would you deal with it?

Yes. I am very sure that the opponents would be better prepared this year as in the first year they hadn’t seen much of us. We would be approaching our matches differently this year, something we haven’t done in the first season of the tournament. This includes different team combinations and chalk out separate strategies for each team. We would also be tracking the weak zones of our opponents and act accordingly.

Q. How much is Abhishek Bachchan, owner of Jaipur Pink Panthers, involved with the team?

The Jaipur Pink Panthers players pose with the PKL trophy with team owner Abhishek Bachchan (bottom)

Abhishek Bachchan has always been very closely associated with the functioning of the team. Even when he is busy, he takes time out to discuss the minutest details of the game with us. He speaks each and every player and sometimes even plays with us during camps. He is a great support for the team and is also an inspiration for all of us. He leads from the front.