Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Telugu Titans' Rahul Chaudhari wins hearts with incredible gesture of sportsmanship

On the penultimate day of the Delhi leg of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 on Wednesday, the Telugu Titans notched up their fifth win of what has been a stuttering campaign. Up against a tricky Jaipur Pink Panthers side, they produced a masterful performance to take a 41-34 win and breathe life into their season, where they have just four games remaining.

Rahul Chaudhari, who was relieved of captaincy duty in the second half of the campaign, was his side's chief point scorer on the night, garnering a whopping 17 points. What makes his feat even more special is that he got the better of Jaipur's Manjeet Chhillar, who is widely considered to be the best defender in the league's history.

On the last day of the Haryana leg, Chhillar had made quite a peculiar statement about Chaudhari, stating that the raider has never managed to score more than one or two points against him and that he never got the better of him in recent times.

However, Chaudhari came up with the perfect reply at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, collecting five bonus and 12 touch points, many of which were against Chhillar himself.

When asked to respond to the Jaipur skipper's previous statement, Chaudhari replied in the most sportsmanlike manner possible. "It doesn't matter what he said earlier," said the Titans man. "He is the best defender in the league and it is a tough job just to get one point off him. He gives his best and I give my best, and today, I was able to pull my team through. I have the highest respect for him."

Leading the Titans on the night was defender Rohit Rana and when asked whether it was a load off his shoulders, the all-time highest point scorer in the league came up with another brilliant reply.

"It doesn't matter who is the captain, as long as I don't have to attend press conferences," joked Chaudhari, sending the room into a roar of laughter. "My focus is on scoring points and getting as many as I can for my team with my raiding. Rana has been doing a good job as a captain and we enjoy playing under his leadership," he said.

The Titans now have just four games remaining in the season and one unfavourable result can see them drop out of the race for the top three. They face off against the Dabang Delhi next on Thursday and will certainly fancy their chances against the struggling home side.