Pardeep Narwal
Credit: X/@imKing45_
Bengaluru: The responsibility of leading his team from the frontline is a role that Pardeep Narwal takes very seriously. It is also a trait that the raider is best known for.
The 1,690 points in 170 matches - highest raid points in 10 seasons of Pro Kabaddi League so far - is a statistic that further attests to his attacking prowess.
Despite a dip in Pardeep’s performance (by his own standards) in the last couple of seasons, perhaps the reason UP Yoddhas let him go ahead of this year’s PKL auctions, Bengaluru Bulls decided to go full throttle to bring the 27-year-old back to the team for Rs 70 lakhs after a gap of nine years.
“When I started playing kabaddi as a youngster on the ground in our village, coach (Naresh Narwal) used to make me do a lot of raids,” said Narwal who was born in a hamlet called Rindhana in Sonipat, Haryana.
“Turns out, I was always naturally better at raids compared to defence. And raiding became second nature.”
If the opportunity of grabbing multiple points at a time (as opposed to one as a defender) excites Pardeep, it's finding ways to break the opponents’ defensive walls that he loves decoding.
“Studying the positions of the opponents when I step into their territory is always in my mind. Once I kind of spot the weak links, I go for the kill. Sometimes all the seven players are really good defenders, to break that loop is a kind of challenge I enjoy doing the most,” he explains.
Pardeep, who led Patna Pirates to three consecutive titles (2015-2017), has also taken over the captaincy from Saurabh Nandal for Season 11. And the experienced raider is determined to help the team get back to its formidable self following an eighth-place finish last year where the Bulls failed to make it to the knockout rounds for the first time since season 5.
“Automatically, a sense of seniority and responsibility sets in. But I do not look at it as extra pressure because I have the support of the coach and the vice-captains as well,” he says about taking on the skipper’s role.
“The decisions are always taken collectively during and outside the match. I have to make everybody think together and play as one unit. We have 25 players for a reason. When a player isn't doing well, even if that’s me, changes can be made anytime. There is no ego in that,” he offers.
As the 2018 champions begin their campaign against Telugu Titans on October 18 at the Gachibowli Indoor stadium in Hyderabad, Pardeep expects the youngsters in the side to shine.
As many as eight raiders make up the Bengaluru Bulls’ squad for this edition and Pardeep has pinned his hopes on Pankaj, a counterpart in his department, to be the one to make an impact.