Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Felt happy when Pune chose me over Manjeet and Ajay Thakur, says Deepak Niwas Hooda

There aren’t many players in the Pro Kabaddi League who have a Wikipedia page dedicated to them. Deepak Niwas Hooda happens to be one of them. At 23-years-old, Hooda plays with the confidence of an experienced campaigner.

Calm on the surface yet extremely aggressive on the mat, Deepak has transformed himself from an impressive all-rounder to a world class raider.

By retaining his services for season five, Pune displayed wisdom. But by also placing upon Deepak captaincy duties, it remains to be seen if their gamble will pay off. Sportskeeda sat down with Puneri Paltan’s captain for an exclusive interview. Here are excerpts from the conversation.

What have you learnt from the other captains in the league? This will be your first time as the leader of a team.

I have learnt a lot from Anup Kumar and Manjeet Chhillar. I have played with Anup for India. There were a lot of intense situations like for example at the World Cup, when responsibility is upon you, you must control your mind during pressure situations. Don’t lose your calm, he always thinks how to win the match. Most importantly, whatever be the situation, Anup always focuses on the game.

What about Manjeet Chhillar?

I’ve played with him for two seasons at Puneri Paltan, he always plays kabaddi with his heart and full of passion. Because the captain’s main role is to keep the morale of the team high. But for that, it’s important for the captain to perform.

If I do well, I am in a position to motivate the team. If I as a captain don’t do well, then it makes a huge difference. It’s important to instil confidence in players who are not doing well.

Were you surprised when Pune handed you the captaincy for this season?

No, I wasn’t surprised because I was retained by the team. Pune decided to part ways with great players like Manjeet and Ajay Thakur and retain me. At that point, I felt really good that the team has placed so much faith in me.

It’s a responsibility more than a pressure. With great power comes great responsibility. This is the rule of life.

You scored more than 100 points in season 4. Now that you’re the captain, are you going to raid less?

Yes, it’s possible that I may have to raid less during some matches. But I don’t think captaincy will impact my performance. There will be times when I may have to defend and control the situation.

My main focus will always be how can I help the team win. I could have simply focused on my scoring. But there needs to be a balance. Only if I score points regularly, will the team win.

You’re viewed as an allrounder but we rarely saw you defend last season?

I have practised defending this season but my focus will be on raiding. Because we have some good defenders like Sandeep Narwal, Dharmaraj, Girish Ernak plus we have some good young players as well like Ravi Kumar, Rinku Narwal. If I do well as a raider, Pune’s attack won’t have an issue. It’s important to score more than defend for me.

What’s your favourite cheat meal?

I don’t cheat a lot, have some sweets but during my rest days, I love to sleep a lot. I really like eating Gulab Jamun.