After the game between Telugu Titans and Jaipur Pink Panthers, the headlines were made in Iran as well, as the majestic Meraj Sheykh outshined compatriot Mohammed Maghsoudlou from the Pink Panthers to win the game for the Titans.
The Pink Panthers couldn’t live with the lively Iranian as they eventually fell to his heroics.
The magnificent Meraj Sheykh forged together his limited English vocabulary to speak to Sportskeeda after the game as he weighed up the impact of the Pro Kabaddi League.
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“The Pro Kabaddi League is a great competition for Kabaddi. Especially for us Iranian players, it is the biggest Kabaddi tournament that we can play in. The Asian Cup, of course, is big, but for Kabaddi this is the greatest competition,” declared Meraj Sheykh.
A great exposure: Sheykh
“In the Asian games, we just lost to India by one point, but now it will be more difficult for us as so many Indian players are playing in Pro Kabaddi League every day.
“It’s a great exposure for them. Only 6-7 Iranian players play in the Pro Kabaddi League, so it is more difficult for us to compete with the Indians now,” added Meraj.
However, in terms of the personal growth, Meraj Sheykh has found the league a step forward in his growth as a Kabaddi player as he gets to train and learn from some of the best players and coaches in the game.
“For me this is a great learning experience, I feel I am getting better every day, learning from the top Indian players and coaches. The Pro Kabaddi has been great for me in terms of the progress as a player,” said the Iranian.
Talking up his sensational performance against the Jaipur Pink Panthers, Meraj Sheykh was quick to laud his coach, who gave him the freedom to be the strike raider for this match.
“My coach gave me a lot of confidence before the match. He told me that I am the main raider in (the) absence of Rahul and Sukesh and asked me to go all out. I have been practising my raiding skills with the coach very hard these previous days, so I was able to play fearlessly,” the Iranian revealed.
Meraj Sheykh’s heroics left the Pune crowd in complete awe of the Iranian and he became their darling within the first few minutes of the game. A large chunk of the crowd that was rooting for the Pink Panthers in the beginning gladly switched loyalties all thanks to the magnificent Meraj Sheykh.
