Unstoppable Bengaluru dreaming of PKL title (IANS Interview)

Pune : Sitting pretty at the top of Zone B, the Bengaluru Bulls have been somewhat of an unstoppable force during the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season.

Their raiders have picked up points almost at will and the defenders have backed that up with a solid performance.With their passage into the knockout rounds confirmed, Bengaluru skipper Rohit Kumar wants his boys to maintain their all-round performance and go on to win the title."Our performance has been excellent till now. We have lost only two matches, that too by small margins. We have made comebacks after falling behind," Rohit told IANS."We have received a lot of support and love from the fans, which has helped us to play better," he added.The fighting spirit in the Bengaluru team was amply demonstrated during their match against the Telugu Titans during the just concluded Bengaluru leg which was shifted to Pune.The match saw a close, hard fought contest which saw Bengaluru Bulls beat Telugu Titans 34-26.It was a neck-and-neck affair from start to finish.With scores tied at 25-25 with a couple of minutes to go, Bengaluru earned an all-out which set up for a strong finish.They then blew away the opposition in the last two minutes to clinch a comprehensive victory."We were trying to keep them at five defenders or less. They were trying to tackle a lot. But we knew that if we can break their five-man defence, then we had a good chance," Rohit said.The star raider admitted that his team was stretched to their limits and he as the captain was under a lot of extra pressure."We as team were under a lot of pressure to decide which players to employ at a given situation. We had to use our brains and our tactics had to be spot on," Rohit said."I was telling the boys to defend well and catch a couple of their raiders. I assured them that in that case the bonus points we had given away early in the game will not count for much and our raiders will be under less pressure," he added.Bengaluru had racked up 11 points in the last two minutes to turn the match on its head in spectacular fashion."Our coach had told us that since we had a two-point lead, the pressure was on them to take extra risks, Rohit said."Their raiders were forced to take extra risks to score which allowed our defence to tackle them effectively. That changed the entire course of the match," he added.Rohit led from the front with several successful raids which saw him being adjudged the best raider as well as the man of the match."I was desperate to do well since I was off-colour in the first 4-5 matches. I was injured at that time and did not want to play. But the coach wanted me in the team to guide the others even though I was not at hundred percent," he said."Both me and our coach were confident that I will play well once I get fully fit."The Haryana lad also asserted that winning such close matches improves the confidence of a team."These type of matches improves the confidence level and experience of a team. Matches where you take a 15-point lead right at the start don't give you that," Rohit said."Winning close matches where you rise to the occasion and take points at crucial moments also gives a lot of satisfaction," he added.Rohit, who had represented the Bulls in the last three seasons as well, feels that the team is at its best this season and is already dreaming of playing in the final."Our primary target this season was to qualify for the playoffs. We have done that in style. Our players are in form and the combinations have clicked. I think we should reach the final," he asserted.(Ajeyo Basu can be contacted at ajeyo.b@ians.in)