U Mumba registered another win over Puneri Paltan, which helped them in their aim of finishing at the top of the table at the end of the league stage. The victory takes them to 50 points from 12 games, trailing Patna Pirates by 8 points who have completed their quota of 14 matches. With the win over Pune, the defending champions have now registered 8 consecutive wins, having lost their last match a month ago against Patna.
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The reason behind U Mumba’s stellar run has been their rock-solid defence. At the heart of their defence is a shy 23-year-old who goes by the name, Mohit Chhillar. The star youngster spoke to Sportskeeda on what lies ahead and the keys behind his perfect tackles.
Asked about the closely contested encounter against Pune, Mohit said, “It wasn’t a touch match. The situation got a bit tricky. For a span of 4-5 minutes, things went a little out of control. They executed too many super tackles to our liking. I don’t think it was a touch match at all. Our raiders I feel eased up a little.”
The secret to executing the perfect super tackle
“Successful super tackles are often executed because of a mistake made by the raider. Generally, it’s ideal to take down the raider in the final 5-10 seconds. The raider comes with the mentality that he has to somehow bag a couple of points quickly,” explained Mohit. “No one wants to go back empty handed in such a situation. They always want to touch all 3 defenders. So, in that sense it’s more to do with the raider’s instinct and decision making.”
Mohit also gave his thoughts on the knockout stages. U Mumba’s third consecutive semi-finals.
“We have to play a little carefully during the knock out stages. Ups and down during the league stages is okay. Defenders especially have to be very alert. A single mistake can prove to be very expensive. So, proper judgment and attempting the right tackles at the right time is crucial,” warned the young defender.
Finally, the talented defender also had some words of wisdom for the players out there who wish to ply their trade in the world’s biggest kabaddi league.
He said, “Nothing much. Along with your studies, keep working hard. Success will eventually find you. Everyone has their favorite positions. I play at the right corner. If someone wants to be an all-rounder, he/she should work towards that. Every position has different requirements. You have to work depending on that.”
U Mumba face Telugu Titans and Dabang Delhi at the NSCI Stadium in their final two league matches.
