Parvesh upbeat about winning the title

Ask him about the ‘threat’ factor that the Pro Kabaddi League’s most feared raider and Patna Pirates’ captain Pardeep Narwal brings to the mat, and the 20-year-old Parvesh dismisses it off as a subject not worthy of consideration. For their eagerly awaited face-off to become a reality, the Pirates’ first need to hold Bengal Warriors hostage in their Qualifier two clash here on Thursday.

In the event of Patna reaching the final, Parvesh was asked if he would lose any sleep over the scary prospect of pitting his wits against Pardeep. To which, the robust defender laughed off the shadow of Pardeep’s fear engulfing him or his team and that he was supremely confident that Gujarat would come out smelling like a rose. 

“I’m confident of snuffing out the threat of Pardeep since we both come from the same district of Sonepat in Haryana and we have played with and against each other in several age-group tournaments. So there is nothing that will take me by surprise and we are prepared for everything. Gujarat has already beaten his team in Chennai a couple of weeks ago. We even have a well-designed strategy in place for his ‘Dubki’ raids. 

I share a good understanding with my right cover Sunil Mallik and together we can neutralise his threat,” averred Parvesh. With Gujarat boasting of two accomplished Iranian defenders in Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani in its ranks, it is a godsend for a greenhorn like Parvesh to pick nuggets of wisdom from the duo. 

“Although there exists a communication barrier, we convey our messages through the language of our sport. If they spot any weaknesses in my game, they will make it a point to correct those flaws. They have a wealth of experience and the junior players stand immensely benefitted from that,” shared the left cover. Despite being a novice, Parvesh made his presence felt with timely tackles and has featured prominently in this season’s PKL. 

“It feels great to have done my bit in my team’s progression to the final. The coach Manpreet Singh has encouraged the youngsters a lot and that has boosted our confidence. And although this is first season for Gujarat, we have performed as a unit and will carry forward this winning run into the final as well,” signed off an upbeat Parvesh.