By DC Correspondent
Copyright deccanchronicle
Day 3 of Rivalry Week in Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 produced another thrilling contest as the Haryana Steelers outclassed three-time champions Patna Pirates 43-32, while Dabang Delhi K.C. shone through the brilliance of Neeraj Narwal to overcome the Telugu Titans 33-29. Speaking on KBD Live, JioStar experts Mohit Chhillar and Rishank Devadiga broke down all the action.Speaking on KBD Live, JioStar expert Mohit Chhillar praised Haryana Steelers’ defense during their win:“The defensive duo of Jaideep and Rahul Sethpal did a great job against Patna Pirates. In fact, the entire defense has been performing consistently. When I saw the starting seven before the game, I instantly noticed the absence of Rahul Ahri and wondered how they would perform without him. But Hardeep, Jaideep, and Rahul Sethpal all worked hard. Except for one corner defender, the entire unit was solid. I am proud to say that Haryana’s defenders have performed at an extremely high level, and this win is the result of their hard work.”Speaking on KBD Live, JioStar expert Rishank Devadiga analyzed Patna Pirates’ struggles:“It was a very difficult outing for the Patna Pirates raiders. Early on, Haryana’s defense did not allow Ayan Lohchab to settle while raiding. The defenders studied him well and knew exactly how to stop him. He kept raiding in the same way repeatedly, and because of that, the defense overpowered him. He needed to bring variations but failed. Ayan had four successful raids from 10 attempts, so it just wasn’t his day. The day belonged to Haryana’s defense; when the raiders entered, the defense gave them no chance to succeed.”On Patna Pirates raider Milan Dahiya’s raid against the Haryana Steelers:“It was truly an amazing raid. Milan Dahiya’s presence of mind was excellent. He knew he was near the mid-line and didn’t give up until the very end, determined to cross it. The struggle continued, and in kabaddi, you can’t release the raider until 30 seconds are over. Haryana Steelers’ defense made a mistake by assuming the tackle was complete. But Milan held on, crossed the line, and secured an incredible five points.”Rishank Devadiga credited head coach Joginder Narwal for his bold auction picks and praised Neeraj Narwal’s performance:“Joginder Narwal, the Head Coach of Dabang Delhi K.C. deserves all the plaudits because he went to the auction and put big bets on experienced players, be it Fazal Atrachali, Surjeet Singh or Saurabh Nandal. He showed faith in them and built a team around them, with such experienced players. We have seen many teams that couldn’t do well despite the presence of the highly experienced players but Delhi is doing a great job. So, the coach has a big role in this. Ashu Malik couldn’t do much due to his injury, but the other players who got a chance, stepped up. Neeraj Narwal played as a lead raider and helped his side win this match with his own skills and raiding. The defense did a good job, but the raiders also performed well.”
