Captain Rohit aims to lead Telugu Titans from the front
Hyderabad: In a bid to win their maiden title in the Pro Kabaddi League, the Hyderabad franchise Telugu Titans roped in experienced player Rohit Kumar for the eighth edition. The star raider also will captain the side in the new season beginning Wednesday. The 31-year-old Indian international led Bengaluru Bulls to title triumph in the […]
Hyderabad: In a bid to win their maiden title in the Pro Kabaddi League, the Hyderabad franchise Telugu Titans roped in experienced player Rohit Kumar for the eighth edition. The star raider also will captain the side in the new season beginning Wednesday.
The 31-year-old Indian international led Bengaluru Bulls to title triumph in the 2018 season and the Titans are counting on this ‘captain cool’ to end the title drought. Rohit, too, is confident of his side clinching the title this season. “The team combination is very good. We have all our bases covered. The preparations were very good. Whatever we planned in training, if we implement we can return with good results,” said the captain.
Speaking about his role as captain and a veteran in the side, Rohit added, “My role will be the same. I will react depending on the situation and bring the team out of trouble. The focus is on winning as many matches as possible. We will give our 100 per cent and all the players are eager to perform well.”
Asked whether there is any extra pressure on him given that Titans haven’t won a title yet, he said, “I am not under any pressure. I play with a free mind. Even our coach (Jagadeesh Kumble) is like that and he won’t put any pressure on the players. We want to perform freely and that helps us bring the best out of everyone.”
The league is returning after almost two years owing to Covid-19 pandemic and Rohit revealed that the period was challenging. “Two years were very tough for everyone. But we knew we would overcome the period. The game also suffered a lot. However, we kept training.”
The entire league will be held in Bengaluru this year and fans will be missing from the stands. Rohit said it was a good decision given the situation. “It is good for the safety of the players. I don’t think fans will feel bad. They also know that safety is paramount. Hopefully, next season we will play in different places.”
Rohit has seen a lot change in the league since its inception and he is delighted that players earned a name for themselves. “A lot has changed from the first edition. Price tag has increased a lot. It was less money earlier. The focus also shifted to team balance and the game too has changed with new rules and the standard certainly improved a lot. The image of players also changed,” he concluded.
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