'Thalaiva' Ajinkya sets sights on more laurels at PKL 10

CHENNAI: What would you identify Ajinkya Pawar with? Just whisper his name and that would instantly bring to mind his stupendous seven-point raid for Tamil Thalaivas against Telugu Titans at a critical stage of the match with victory still undecided on which of the two teams it should garland the gift of five precious points.

It may have turned one recently, but that wondrous feat is engraved on the minds of Thalaivas fans, and indeed the entire Pro Kabaddi League fraternity, as if it happened yesterday. Such is the fanfare associated with that Kodak moment that in the years to come those lucky mortals who witnessed it ‘live’ would look back at it with a degree of fondness as well as a touch of wistfulness. Fondness because of its unprecedented ingenuity and wistfulness because of not knowing when they will get to cheerfully applaud such a rare occurrence on a kabaddi mat again.

It would be no exaggeration to say that one raid alone greatly endeared Ajinkya to the Thalaivas faithful to the extent that they have come to regard him as their beloved team’s go-to man in times of crisis. And subsequent to that pure, raw, and uninhibited moment of genius, Ajinkya has added a few more strings to his powerful bow that has only made the crowd warm up to him even more.

As for the man himself, he has moved on from that heroic act just as expertly and hurriedly as how he had wriggled out of the collective grasp of a befuddled Titans team.

In those fleeting few seconds, Ajinkya strutted out of years of obscurity and shot to prominence, blazing an inimitable trail that may be a hard act to follow for even himself.

For someone who wears modesty on his sleeve, it is all too apparent that he takes no pride in living off past glory no matter how many times that ‘raid’ comes up for discussion or is beamed on TV. Endowed with alacrity and game awareness among a slew of other skill sets, the versatile Ajinkya, who is equally adept at defending, has wasted little time in establishing himself as a vital cog in the Thalaivas’ formidable line-up since making his debut.

As we sit down for a chat at a plush hotel, the Mumbaikar outlines his plans for the landmark 10th season of the PKL succinctly.

“Everything is dependent on our team. We play and win as a unit. Individual accomplishments take a backseat. That is the mindset that has been ingrained in us. Also, we get to travel more this season as the league has returned to caravan format after a hiatus and consequently we need to take care of our fitness as we are constantly on the move with not much breathing space in between,” explains Ajinkya.

It’s quite apt how matters pertaining to fitness haven’t been lost on him considering a few Thalaivas players were laid low by injuries last season and that stroke of misfortune ultimately cost them a place in the final.

“Our captain Sagar (Rathee) was unavailable due to injury for our semis clash against Puneri Paltan and that had a profound impact on a relatively young team. Apart from being the captain, he is also the bedrock of our defence. Still, we fought hard and lost by a narrow margin. That was a painful defeat, literally and metaphorically. We need to be on our guard against injuries this time,” observes Ajinkya, who takes heart from the fact that Thalaivas had retained the nucleus of the team which, he says, will help in providing stability.

Asked to name two teams that boast a strong defence from a raider’s perspective, Ajinkya picks last season’s finalists: Jaipur Pink Panthers and Puneri. “It’s not just their defence but they have all the other bases covered as well and will be the teams to watch out for again.”

And before the conversation draws to a close, there is time enough to squeeze in one last question and inevitably it’s about ‘that’ raid that made everyone sit up and take notice of a burgeoning talent. There is no reply, he just breaks into a spontaneous chortle and dashes off for a training session. That perhaps sums him up best: always in a tearing hurry with that genial smile of his never deserting him.