HYDERABAD: ‘Kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi…’ has been on the minds and lips of every Indian amid the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League, with everyone watching in nervous anticipation and questioning, “Who is going to win?” Hyderabad played host from October 18 to November 9 for the first leg of Season 11. At a special meetup at district150, CE spoke to two Iranian players from Gujarat Giants, Mohammad Nabibaksh and Vahid Rezaeimehr.
Vahid, who has around 10 years of experience in kabaddi, says, “This is the second season that I am playing in. In the last season, I was in another team and this time, as a player for the Gujarat Giants, I will say that it is a very good team, right from the managers to the players.”
He adds that the team bonding is great too, saying, “Karthik and Monu are our friends. Monu and Jeetu are fun too.
We make each other happy when we meet.” But the friendship extends beyond the team too, and Mohammad reveals that they have friends in the Telangana, Bengal, and Jaipur teams as well.
Mohammad, who has been playing Kabaddi for 15 years, expresses, “This is the second time I am playing for Pro Kabaddi and it has been good.” His secret to staying good at the game, he says, is practice. “I practise around two times a day, which is about two hours in the morning and two in the evening.”
The player, who is very fit, reveals that they follow a strict diet in order to be game-ready. “We do not have sugar — there is only one cheat day where we get to have something sweet to quench our cravings. We are professional players so we need to stay fit; the game itself is a workout session,” he quips.
Vahid also takes us through his training, explaining, “Sometimes we go out for running and on Saturday mornings, it is gymming and swimming. In the evening, we practise Kabaddi.”
Mohammad says that compared to the preceding seasons, this season of the Pro Kabaddi League is better, minimal travel being the reason. “There are only three cities that we are travelling to this season. Last time, we moved across 12 cities. This year, Hyderabad is the first city, followed by Noida.”
Interestingly, Mohammad points out that the weather in Hyderabad is all too familiar: “The weather here is just like where we live. I also like biryani but there is only one problem here — the food is very spicy. I like mutton biryani but if I had to choose, it would be chicken biryani.”
But with so much practice taking up their day, the players have not gotten the time to explore Hyderabad. “We usually practice or take rest when we do not have a match so that we prepare ourselves to play our best games,” Mohammad mentions.
The players do not limit themselves only to Kabaddi. While Mohammad likes to wrestle, Vahid plays chess and football. Indeed, this is what talent looks like!