Deepak Hooda eyes more glory with kabaddi

Deepak Hooda’s growth as an all-rounder since his VIVO Pro Kabaddi debut with Telugu Titans in season 1 has been phenomenal. From scoring 89 points in that campaign to 186 in the recently concluded fifth season, Hooda has come a long way. He’s currently third in the list of the leading scorers in the history of the league and offers immense value to any team owing to his ability to back up the defence when necessary.

Recently, Hooda was part of the 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championship winning Indian squad where he played in the cover position to lend the team balance. Now that he is back home, far from relaxing he says he has started preparations for the 2018 Asian Games.

"It (Asian Games) is my target as of now. We have one year to prepare and hopefully I shall make it count," Hooda told indiatimes.com.

After a rocky youth where the responsibility of being the bread winner of his family fell on his shoulders early on, Hooda has managed to make name for himself in the sport of kabaddi and in the process provide his family with a stable financial base. He says a lot of credit for his current condition goes to VIVO Pro Kabaddi. "VIVO Pro Kabaddi has helped the sport a lot in India,” said Hooda, “Earlier we did not have much infrastructure when we were training nor was there much money. Now at least we are financially taken care of."

With the popularity of kabaddi on the rise, Hooda feels that the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics will further cement its appeal and is confident of the Indian team doing well even on that stage. “There is every chance if we take part in the Olympics we can win a medal," Hooda said confidently.