Bhardwaj leads a strong defensive display as Telugu Titans defeat Gujarat Fortunegiants

Telugu Titans were led by a commanding Vishal Bhardwaj High 5 as they defeated Gujarat Fortunegiants 30-24 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Siddharth Desai picked up 7 raid points, but it was the 16 tackle point performance of the Telugu Titans defence that ultimately guided them to their first Season 7 victory.

The Desai brothers – Siddharth and Suraj – started off with successful raids to get Telugu Titans off to a good start. Amit Kumar then stepped up as the third raider to send Gujarat Fortunegiants’ primary raider Sachin to the bench. The visitors managed to reduce Gujarat Fortunegiants to two men in the first seven minutes and, two raids later, inflicted their first Season 7 All-Out, taking a 9-4 lead.

Gujarat Fortunegiants scored their first tackle point of the night just towards the end of the first quarter of the contest through Parvesh Bhainswal. But Telugu Titans tackled down Sachin and More G B in quick succession to hold on to their advantage.

Desai then put in three successive successful raids and Gujarat Fortunegiants answered by tackling Amit Kumar, before More G B scored the final point of the half with a touch on C. Arun, as the teams went into the break with Telugu Titans having a small yet significant 17-13 lead.

More G B was sent to the bench by Vishal Bhardwaj early in the second period. However, it did not take Gujarat Fortunegiants very long to open their account too, through a successful Rohit Gulia raid. Defenders Bhainswal and Bhardwaj then took control of the match and brought up their High 5s in quick succession as the match stayed close.

But Telugu Titans captain Abozar Mohajermighani stepped up at a vital time for his team, first sending back Gujarat Fortunegiants’ most successful raider of the season Gulia and then taking down More G B to send the visitors’ lead up to six points.

Bhainswal, though, stood strong for Gujarat Fortunegiants and picked up Suraj Desai twice in Do-or-Die raids to keep the score difference in check. Armaan then came in with just over a minute left in the contest and was tackled down. But Ankit, who had stepped out of bounds, was involved in the tackle giving the point to Telugu Titans. The six-point gap this opened up remained till the end of the match as Telugu Titans went on to claim their first-ever VIVO Pro Kabaddi victory over Gujarat Fortunegiants.

Top Performers:

Gujarat Fortunegiants -

Top Raider – Rohit Gulia (5 Raid Points)

Top Defender – Parvesh Bhainswal (7 Tackle Points)

Telugu Titans -

Top Raider – Siddharth Desai (7 Raid Points)

Top Defender – Vishal Bhardwaj (7 Tackle Points)