Discipline and camaraderie of the armed forces have strengthened Jaideep’s hand

Discipline plays a huge part in the lives of those who work with the armed forces and army-man Jaideep’s inclusion in their squad has offered Patna Pirates exactly that and much more in the Left-Corner position. At the end of his stellar debut season, Jaideep finished as the joint-third best defender with 71 tackle points and a VIVO Pro Kabaddi champion.

The desire to serve the nation runs in Jaideep’s bloodline. “The previous two generations of my family - my grandfather and father - have been a part of the Indian Army,” said a proud Jaideep in an exclusive interview with prokabaddi.com.

Jaideep, who has followed in his father’s footsteps for much of his life, naturally gravitated towards life in the armed forces then and eventually managed to make his way in the army. But there was another passion that his father carried which also managed to rub off on young Jaideep- the sport of kabaddi.

“My father is a big fan of kabaddi and he was the one who pushed me to start playing the game,” said the Patna Pirates Corner, “I got a job in the army on the basis of my kabaddi skills and started playing for their kabaddi team just like my father before me.”

It was while playing for the Services team that Jaideep first showed glimpses of his brilliance in defence which got noticed by the Patna Pirates management, and the rest is history. However, even after he has achieved VIVO Pro Kabaddi glory with the team in Season 5, the excitement of his family each time he takes the mat remains unwavering.

“Even today, my family calls me before every game and tournament to know how I am doing and encourage me for the coming day,” said Jaideep with a smile.

Though there is no doubt in the skillset that Jaideep brings to a defensive setup, his two biggest strengths- his discipline and the sense of responsibility for every member of the team that he brings- are clear every time he speaks.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are a raider or defender.  I believe that the most important thing for a human being is to be responsible towards what you do,” Jaideep signed off.