Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Tamil Thalaivas coach questions Bengal Warriors' strategy after last-moment win

The Bengal Warriors were up against the Tamil Thalaivas in an important Pro Kabaddi Season 5 Zone B encounter on Sunday at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in Delhi and looked to have bagged the five points that they needed to take top spot on the points tally, leading 32-31 with the last raid left.

However, they were unable to keep their cool and as Ajay Thakur came in to raid and quite inexplicably, two Warriors defenders went in for the tackle and the veteran raider gleefully collected the touches and spun back to cross the midline.

It was a crushing blow for the side from Kolkata, who had looked good throughout the match and should have had it in the bag, if not for their monumental lapse of concentration.

"We lost it in the last raid," rued captain Surjeet in the post-match press conference. "We were winning throughout the match and when Ajay came to raid, we had no defenders on the right side. That is why, we charged in and gifted two points to them."

The Bengal coach KK Jagdeesha, who had taken a timeout before the last raid, also stated what he had told his team. "I told the players that we could afford to give a draw and if in case anyone went for the tackle, it should only be one player," he said.

However, in the heat of the moment, the players forgot what was instructed and it cost them the match. The coach had no response to why his team were unable to hold their nerve and it was Surjeet who added, "It was a huge error on our part. We will make sure it doesn't happen again."

The Tamil Thalaivas coach K Baskaran was one happy man after the match and expressed his surprise at the turn of events. "We were expecting them to come in with one man maximum for the tackle. I instructed Ajay to stay put and anticipate the thigh hold," he said.

"But I could not believe it when I saw them charge with two defenders and I'm glad it worked in our favour in the end. It was certainly strange and I don't know what their coach told them but we're happy as we were able to win," he said, signing off.

This win comes as a massive boost for the bottom-of-the-table Thalaivas and they will be up against the Gujarat Fortunegiants next on Tuesday as the Inter Zone Challenge week gets underway.