HYDERABAD: Remeber the superhit Badlapur Boys and its Telugu remake Bheemli Kabaddi Jattu of Nani? It was one which gave Kabaddi the cool tag. Rekindling the interest for the sport which happens to be the state game of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and a few other states, Star Sports Pro Kabaddi is all set for its fourth season. Telugu Titans, who represent the Telugu States in the Pro Kabaddi League were in the city practicing hard to make the state proud of its game.
Rahul Chaudhari, the captain of the team, and coach Uday Kumar share that Kabaddi is a tough sport as it requires both brain and brawn equally. “It’s a strategic game where we have to anticipate in a split second the move of our opponent. One has to literally think on one’s feet as one wrong move can affect the total score. It’s all because of the creation and promotion of premier sporting leagues, we are able to showcase our talents. Traditionally, for the past 15 years, India has been winning the Gold Medal at Asian games and other International /national sporting events but I have not seen the frenzy for the game that I see now. We have children, women as well as the elderly following the game and this is also giving unsung talents, a platform to prove their mettle,” adds Uday.
These leagues are opening similar formats in table tennis and other games like caroms are also being considered, they add.
On a lighter vein, Rahul reveals that he was good at jumping walls from his childhood, which drove him to towards the sport. Growing up Kabaddi seemed a natural choice as it did not require any kind of planning or equipment.
Whenever they had had a small group of friends, they would all turn to playing this game. “My parents were accommodating and knew that if I had set my sights on anything ,I will not rest till I achieve it. I had set my vision on being a National level Kabaddi player which I am happy to have fulfilled,” he smiled ear to ear.
Kabaddi still holds the charm, all it needs is some attention. “I always feel that all sports hold their charm if they are played in true spirit. Kabaddi in the new format has actually made itself adapt to the new generation. It’s now trendy and on television and thereby adding to its charm,” Rahul adds to the statement, while his coach opined that the game has been suitably adapted without losing its essence.
Uday informed that with PKL promoting the game, there is renewed interest in the sport right from the district level in the states. “If we have good stadiums which are accessible to people from all income levels ,I am sure we will have serious players in future emerging from this field,” Uday stated.
Both captain and coach shared that Kabaddi is a good exercise for the whole body both physically as well as mentally. It keeps one alert and their response time to external stimuli active. “They say if we breathe right, we never fall sick. Kabaddi teaches us to take in long and deep breaths,” they educate us.
Uday Kumar began his journey as a coach in the year 1995 as a coach to CISF and since then he has been mentoring the zealous Kabaddi players.
“In 2007, I was a coach for Kerala State Council. From 2000 to 2010, I was the National coach for the Indian Kabaddi team and under my leadership we won Gold medals at three Asian Games - Bhusan (2002)Doha (2006) and Guangzhou (2010). Our Indian team also won two World Kabaddi Cups in 2007 and 2010. From 2015 I have been a Coach to Telugu Titans team (barring Season 3)in the newly formed Pro Kabaddi League,” he shared with a sense of pride.
Ask him the role of a coach, pat comes the reply, “He is the one who puts the team together after gauging the strengths and weakness of each team member. The coach has to visualise what combination will win matches against each opponent team. There is a lot of technicality involved .”
Says Uday, “As a child growing up in Kerala, I found all the children were into games like badminton and tennis. I found Kabaddi more of a team sport and gradually developed my love for the game. I give all the credit of my success to my family,” he says. Kabaddi traditionally was played on loose soil so that players don’t get hurt, but now with the change of surface to a synthetic texture the agility/speed of the players has increased, he adds.
“If one love sports, Kabaddi is definitely a good career option. Other than the monetary benefits ,we are also getting good offers from Government and private companies to join them as their employees . We can therefore enjoy the dual tag of an employee and player,” says Rahul.