Star of the Day: Ajay Thakur

Name: Ajay Thakur

Team: Tamil Thalaivas

Position: Raider

Tamil Thalaivas picked up just their second win of the season after edging U.P. Yoddha 34-33 in a nail-biter at the Motilal Nehru School of Sports in Sonepat on Wednesday. Chennai trailed Lucknow for the most part of the match but a late show by their skipper Ajay Thakur eventually proved to be the difference between the teams.

Lucknow started the game well and took a lead into the break. However, Thakur and K. Prapanjan both put in spirited performances in the second period to clinch victory from the unlikeliest of circumstances. Both Thakur and Prapanjan managed eight points in the game but the former’s performance proved to be decisive in the larger context of the match.

Chennai took the lead in closing moments of the game but Lucknow skipper Nitin Tomar turned the tide in his side’s favour with a super raid. But cometh the hour, cometh the man, and that’s exactly what Thakur did with a stunning super raid of his own to create daylight between the southerners and Lucknow. In fact, his last three raids of the match all ended in success, further illustrating the champion raider’s ability to come up with the goods under pressure.