The Telugu Titans challenge in Season 5 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi has turned out to be subpar. They started off with a dismal home leg and were unable to come back strong and stake a claim for a playoff berth thereafter. Their star raider Rahul Chaudhari didn’t perform to the best of his ability, and that played a part in their coming up with a weak challenge in Zone B. Be that as it may, Chaudhari still managed to return 193 points (184 raid points, 9 tackle points), making him the 5th highest scorer of Season 5. He also became the first player to complete 600 raid points before being joined by Patna Pirates’ Pardeep Narwal.  Chaudhari scored 8 super 10s in 22 matches in spite of the team’s defensive woes, which led to him being on the sidelines for longer durations, waiting for a revival. Prokabaddi.com recently caught up with the prolific raider in an exclusive interview where he was full of helpful advice and tips for young kabaddi enthusiasts. Here are some excerpts from the interview.

Do you have any advice for young raiders who look up to you?

I just want to tell them to watch videos and observe the movements of whichever player they want to be like. For a raider, fitness, speed and strength are very important. So is playing with a cool mind. If they like some particular skill of mine or of any other raider then they have to keep practising it and they might even become better than us at it. Diet is very important as well. They should not eat oily food and one must avoid having much fat on the body.

Is there any skill in the raiding department which you like?

I really like the running kick and running hand-touch in the raiding department. Unfortunately I was a little slow this season because of which I couldn’t really show these to the best of my ability but I am working hard and in the coming season I will be showing the fans all my skills.

Tell us one technique which is very important for a raider.

I think turning is a very important skill for a raider. If a raider is perfect with his turning then he will definitely get points against any defence. Another important technique is getting bonus points. If a raider has these two techniques then he can score a lot of points.

What is the secret to your success as a raider?

I really don’t know. I play with a lot of focus and I practise running a lot. In the match as well, I try to tire the opposition defence and then get points.

You raid from both sides of the mat.How do you manage that?

Since I started playing kabaddi as a child I used to practise raiding from both sides. It took a lot of hard work but I managed to master the skill. My coaches have made me practise a lot as well because which I am able to raid from both sides today.

You know quite a bit about defending as suggest your nine tackle points this season. Which qualities according to you are essential for a good defender?

To become a good defender, one needs to have more than just one quality. There are a lot of qualities which are essential for a good defender. He must have a good ankle hold and a good chain tackle is also important.

 

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