"Only defense can’t win you games if the raiders don’t perform" - Gujarat Giants' coach Ram Meher Singh after victory against UP Yoddhas

Gujarat Giants’ coach Ram Meher Singh was happy with the fact that both raiding and defense departments played their part in his team’s 38-30 victory over UP Yoddhas on Saturday at SDAT Multi-Purpose Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

After suffering three consecutive losses, Gujarat Giants returned to winning ways as they beat UP Yoddhas by an 8-point margin.

While addressing the media, the Giants’ coach stressed the need for both defenders and raiders to perform together to win a match. He said that Gujarat won the match because the team secured points in both attack and defense.

“If you remember, I told in the last game that whichever team performs best both in the attack and defense will win the game. Today, both our units gave their best. Only defense can’t win you games if the raiders don’t perform. There’s no doubt that the defenders performed well today but our strike raider, Rakesh also performed exceedingly well.”

Ram Meher Singh also highlighted the importance of having Mohammad Nabibaksh in the team. The Iranian defender couldn’t score a point in the match but the coach hailed the Iranian players’ flexibility in the side.

“Our team stays confident with the presence of Nabibaksh on the mat. He can play at any position. Be it corner position, cover or if there is a requirement for a raider during the game, he can fill any position for the team. That gives confidence to the entire team. "

Gujarat Giants storms back to an 8-point win after falling short in the first half

At the end of the first half, Gujarat Giants were trailing at 14-19 against UP Yoddhas on Saturday. However, Fazel Atrachali and Co. made a big turnaround and ended up winning the game by an 8-point margin.

Strike raider, Rakesh deserves a lot of credit for the win as he kept the team in the hunt by consistently securing successful raids.

Rakesh finished with the most number of points in the match. He accumulated 14 points, including 4 bonus points and 10 touch points. Fazel Atrachali, on the other hand, was brilliant in the defense. He looked a little out of touch in the first half but secured important tackle points in the important second half.

The Gujarat Giants captain accumulated 6 points but also made three unsuccessful tackles during the game.