Deepak Hooda: At no point did I feel that we were losing our grip on the contest

A strong defensive outing from Jaipur Pink Panthers helped them overcome Tamil Thalaivas by a scoreline of 37-24 at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Vizag. In the post-match press conference, Jaipur Pink Panthers were represented by coach Srinivas Reddy, captain Deepak Niwas Hooda and defender Sunil Siddhgavali.

Q. Thoughts on the performance?

Srinivas Reddy: Firstly, I would like to thank the people in attendance. The support was fantastic throughout the match. I belong to this city and that made me push myself, as well as the team hard in preparation for this fixture. We start our home leg this Friday, so heading into that with a victory will give us a lot of confidence. I told the team, especially the youngsters, to give it their all and enjoy the match. You have a chance to showcase your ability so do your best, I said.

Q. Do you think the raiding unit is finally clicking?

Deepak Hooda: In the past we have had some lapses but today it was a total team effort to help us get the win. I had a lot of fun out there tonight and at no point did I feel that we were losing our grip on the contest. If we play this way, we can do well. We are not focused on our Playoffs chances. We are simply focused on winning every match.

Q. Thoughts on Anand Patil, Sunil Siddhgavali and Ajinkya Pawar?

Deepak Hooda: These three as well as Sandeep Dhull, Santhapanaselvam and Amit Kumar gave it their all in this match. The entire team did so well that it was very satisfying.

Q. What are your preparations like for the next match?

Srinivas Reddy: We kick off our home leg against Puneri Paltan and if you assess our games against them, you will notice that the matches were very close until the end. So the aim is to beat them and start our home leg on a positive note.