Sagar, cornerstone of Thalaivas’ defence

Youngster Sagar may not have earned a sobriquet such as ‘The Beast From The East’ or ‘The Hawk’ – like some of his right-corner counterparts – in his nascent career but has been carving out a name for himself, thanks to phenomenal performances in the Pro Kabaddi League 2021-22. Sagar, an ever-present in the Thalaivas ‘Starting Seven’, has been serving up a sumptuous sporting feast at the Sheraton Grand Hotel (the tournament venue) in Bengaluru since the beginning of the ongoing season. And, his mind-boggling statistics are there for everyone to see. The Sunderpur-based lad leads the ‘Tackle Points’ chart by a mile with 63 in 15 matches, including eight ‘High 5s’, at an average of 4.2. Riding on the crest of a wave, Sagar, in an e-mail interaction with DT Next, spoke about his rich vein of form, the learning experience at Thalaivas and the southern team’s chances of qualifying for the Pro Kabaddi 8 play-offs.

I had signed a two-season contract with Thalaivas ahead of PKL 7, so I knew that the team would retain me for Pro Kabaddi 8. But, when the retention list came out officially, I felt extremely happy. Before the start of Season 8, the Thalaivas management organised camps, through which I gained a lot of experience. At the camps, our [head] coach (J Udaya Kumar) entrusted me with the task of taking care of the right-corner position and spoke about his expectations. I am pleased with my [individual] performances, but kabaddi is a team sport. I hope to put my best foot forward in the upcoming matches.

We had a pretty good off-season. Thalaivas organised about seven camps in Kerala in the last two years, all of which were helpful. The [COVID-19 enforced] lockdowns were tough on all of us. Even when there were no signs of kabaddi’s revival, it was important for us to train. Thalaivas put its faith in youth and gave us an opportunity to practise in the middle of a pandemic.

I feel blessed to have Udaya Kumar sir, Jagmohan sir and Surjeet bhai with me. I have been learning so much from them. Udaya Kumar sir has been paying a lot of attention to my game. He has created a plan for my improvement. During the camps, I focussed on my diving skills. I have been seeing the results [of my off-season work] at practice and during the matches. Surjeet bhai has been an inspiration; I grew up watching him play. He has the ability to manage the team well in difficult situations and that is why he is a great leader. He has positive words to say, even when we lose matches.

All teams are capable of winning on their day. I have faith in my team. The competition is fierce; the table has been changing on a daily basis because only a few points separate the teams. We have the chance to make history by entering the play-offs.