Preetam Chhillar happy to have come a long way

Bengaluru Bulls may not have had the best of starts to Season 5 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi but they still have a good chance of making the qualifiers if they do well in the latter half of the league stage. Preetam Chhillar has featured heavily in the starting-7 for the Bulls this campaign and will have a role to play in defence if the Bulls want to turn things around in a bid to make it beyond the league phase. Chhillar spoke exclusively to prokabaddi.com recently and discussed a great many topics. Here the excerpts from the interview.

How has VIVO Pro Kabaddi changed your life?

There has been a huge difference. First nobody knew me but now everyone in my locality and the neighbouring villages know that there is a guy named Preetam Chhillar.

How do your family and friends feel when they watch you on TV?

They really feel proud when they see me playing kabaddi on television.

When did you start playing kabaddi?

I started in 2006. I played an under-14 tournament and we came first in that, so at that time I really felt good.

When you step on the mat, how much pressure do you feel?

When we step on the mat we forget everything else. We only focus on the match and our opponents. Our mind is set on how to defeat the other team.

Who is your role model and why?

My role model is Manjeet Chhillar because I really like his kick and his power when he blocks.

How important is a time-out in a match?

Yes, it is important because when a player gets confused then the time-out helps us. The coach comes and guides us whenever there is any confusion in the team or we are involved in a tricky and pressure situation.

If you weren’t a kabaddi player, then what would you be?

I thought of becoming a cricketer but I was studying as well. In my village everyone loves kabaddi so I also started playing kabaddi.

Super raid or super tackle, which is more difficult?

I think both are similar in terms of difficulty. In a super raid, the team gets [at least] three points and in a super tackle, the team gets two points. It also depends on which raider is coming to raid but I prefer the super tackle.