Joginder Singh Narwal: Number of points does not matter as long as team wins

A career-high 19 raid points from Naveen Kumar and 12 from Chandran Ranjit saw Dabang Delhi K.C. beat Puneri Paltan by an impressive scoreline of 60-40 at the Tau Devilal Sports Complex in Panchkula on Sunday. At the post-match press conference, Dabang Delhi K.C. coach Krishan Kumar Hooda and skipper Joginder Singh Narwal took questions for their team, while coach Anup Kumar and raider Nitin Tomar represented Puneri Paltan.

Dabang Delhi K.C.

Q. Thoughts on the victory?

Krishan Kumar Hooda: It was a solid all-round performance. I am extremely happy with the execution of the gameplan on the mat.

Q. Joginder, thoughts on consolidating the top spot?

Joginder Singh Narwal: The entire team has been on song for a while now. The raiders, the Covers, the Corners have all been in tandem on the mat and the results are evident.

Q. Thoughts on the record-breaking points tally of 60?

Joginder Singh Narwal: It doesn’t matter if it is 50 or 60 or even 10. The number of points does not matter as long as the team wins. Today our raiders were outstanding from the start and Puneri Paltan couldn’t recover from that early damage. These things can happen at any time. It is not that big a deal.

Puneri Paltan

Q. Thoughts on the result?

Anup Kumar: There is a stark difference between the quality of this team and its performances. If you look at the names in the roster, it has the perfect balance of experience and youth. To miss out on the playoffs with a team as good as ours is extremely disappointing.

Q. As a coach, how has the experience been?

Anup Kumar: When you do something for the first time, there is obviously room for improvement. I have learned a lot this season. This is my first year as a coach in this league and it has been quite the ride. I am learning on the job and, over the course of the season, I believe I have improved as a coach. I want to keep learning and improving and slowly but surely, I will be at the level I expect from myself.

Q. How difficult has the transition been?

Anup Kumar: It has been quite challenging. As a player, you know you will be on the mat and you can affect the result on your own. However, as a coach, you can just sit on the sideline and observe. So, it has been a tough transition. There have been times where I was itching to get on the mat. But that is not how things work.

Q. Nitin, your thoughts on the season?

Nitin Tomar: We came into this season with the solitary focus of winning the vivo Pro Kabaddi crown. Coach Anup tried his best to help us reach the level we needed to be at, but unfortunately, the team couldn’t find the correct synergy on the mat. But we will try our best in the upcoming matches.