The Jaipur Pink Panthers took on UP Yoddha on December 27 in a clash between two of the top three raiders in the league, as Deepak Niwas Hooda locked horns with Pardeep Narwal. JPP emerged victorious 29-32 at the end of the final whistle.
Hooda talked with the media after the win against the UP Yoddha and talked about the team strategy before the game, and their plan to subdue Pardeep Narwal.
“It was very important for us to win tonight, talking about Pardeep Narwal, we watched him during his last two games.
I had prepared a special strategy for Pardeep along with the coach. I believe the strategy was successful in tonight’s game!”
The Panthers were able to keep Pardeep silent for the majority of the game, as the raider could only fetch three points in the entire game. The Jaipur Pink Panther defence was all over the raider in the contest and kept him at the sidelines, creating additional pressure on the UP Yoddha.
“A victory is a victory!”, Hooda shares his mindset before the final do-or-die raid
The Panthers were able to steal a win away from UP Yoddha in their encounter in a very similar fashion, the way UP Yoddha stole a win away from the Patna Pirates in their previous encounter.
Raiding against the Patna Pirates on a do-or-die raid, Surender Gill had put on a brilliant display of experience as he jumped in for the bonus point despite getting tackled to keep his side in the lead to win the match.
Hooda talked about his mindset before the similar situation that developed in the final do-or-die raid between the Pink Panthers and UP Yoddha.
“Personally about the do-or-die raid, I went in thinking that I will score one point, because the goal was to make the team win. I knew if I went deep the defender would tackle me down.
UP used the same strategy against Patna, so the defenders were never going to allow me the bonus, which is why I went for the touch point!”
With the latest win, JPP now have two wins in their three games and are currently fourth at the points table with 11 points. They will lock horns with U Mumba in their upcoming encounter, and fans will hope that the franchise can continue their winning run.
