The Telugu Titans have assembled a stellar looking squad for the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League 2016. They’ve been quite unlucky in the past couple of seasons. Involved in some nail biting matches with results that could have gone either way but unfortunately for them, it didn’t go their way. One of the most attractive teams to watch look even stronger this time around. We spoke to captain, Rahul Chaudhari on the season ahead and his ways of keeping fit.
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“I am very happy with the squad. We got the players we wanted. Sandeep Narwal and Jasmer Singh Gulia used to play with me for the Uttar Pradesh team. Our defence had some issues last time. Not this time though”, he said.
The Titans decided to retain another raider with Rahul in Sukesh Hegde and he believes it was a no-brainer, “Sukesh is a good raider. Every team have retained their main players. Similarly, we had to retain two”, he said.
Asked about his practice sessions Rahul said, “Obviously we practice a lot with the team. But individual practices are a lot as well. It’s about putting in that extra effort for extra results and this requires extra eating as well. We have to work on our individual aspects a lot. For example, if we don’t manage to get bonus points, I have to specifically practice on those lines and ask the coach how I can perform better during the bonus point opportunities.”
“Now we have to practice continuously because the tournament will be held twice. Plus, we also focus on our national and state games. So controlling the weight is very crucial. I have to be extra careful about my diet or else I’ll put on weight and that is of no use. Even when I go home to my village for a couple of months, I still practice there. You have to keep running”
Sweets key in recovery process
The star raider gave us some insights on maintaining energy levels during the season, “Look I eat soya beans, almonds. You know eating Gulab Jamun helps a lot. Eating sweets helps a lot in the recovery process”, he said.
Off late the technology and machines used in the recovery process have changed quite a bit. Especially in sports like cricket and football. But Rahul believes in the old school way of doing things. “Look I am from a village. Want good recovery? Drink good dal and have some ghee”, he concluded.
