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The Jaipur Pink Panthers campaign in VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5 started on a bit of a false note as they lost their first game to Dabang Delhi K.C. in spite of enjoying a big lead early in the first half. However, with One-Man-Army Manjeet Chhillar leading their side this season, the team will back themselves to come back strongly in their next few matches. Their main raider Jasvir Singh played a big role in Jaipur’s first-half dominance over Delhi and will definitely look to build on that start as the season progresses. In an exclusive interview with prokabaddi.com, the senior raider reflected on his friendship with Manjeet and if luck is indeed a factor on the mat. Here are some excerpts:

You have been Season 1 champions and runners-up in the previous season. What are your expectations from this season?

We expect to do better than we did last season because we have a good team and a quality all-rounder in Manjeet Chhillar. The coach has trained us well in pre-season and we will try our best to emerge champions.

Tell us about your friendship with Manjeet Chhillar.

Manjeet Chhillar is like a brother to me. We have a good understanding both on and off the field. He knows how I will play in a particular situation and vice versa. We make a very good combination and I look forward to playing with him this season.

According to you, does your team’s strength lie in raiding or defence?

Both the departments are very well balanced.

You have a strong starting line-up but your substitutes seem to lack experience. What do you have to say about that?

Everyone in our team has the potential to play well. It is not like we rely on the same players in every match. We have the ability to rotate our team members according to the situation of the match.

Which of the youngsters from the current lot has the ability to be a breakthrough star this season?

I think Selvamani K. He is a raider who has proven himself in the Federation Cup, Nationals and All-India tournaments.  We hope he continues his form and does well for our team as well.

How confident are you of making the qualifiers this season?

Sometimes these things come down to the team’s luck in a particular season. We have put in the hard work and we hope it will pay off for us but all 12 teams have come to win. We will have to see which of the teams have luck going their way this time around.