Manpreet and Sunil laud More G B after Gujarat Fortunegiants’ win

Gujarat Fortunegiants registered their third win on the trot in VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 7 and halted Dabang Delhi K.C.'s unbeaten run this campaign with a splendid team performance at the Dome, NSCI, SVP Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. Dabang Delhi K.C.’s youngster Naveen Kumar notched up yet another Super 10 this season while leading the lines for Gujarat Fortunegiants was More G B, who bagged 5 raid points and 4 tackle points in the match.

Gujarat Fortunegiants coach Manpreet Singh and captain Sunil Kumar spoke to reporters after the game, while coach Krishan Kumar Hooda and captain Joginder Narwal attended the post-match press conference from the Dabang Delhi K.C. camp.

Gujarat Fortunegiants

Q. Coach, what was your strategy against Dabang Delhi K.C.?

Manpreet Singh: As per our strategy and plan, we were focusing on both their raiders (Naveen Kumar and Chandran Ranjit) and More G B performed very well today from our side.

Q. What makes Gujarat Fortunegiants consistent?

Manpreet Singh: When the league starts, during the first two or three matches, you have to ensure your team plays well and not look at whether you are winning or losing. We have to prove ourselves through our performances. Whatever we practice, if we can translate even 50% of that on the mat during a game, we will do well. Today’s game was very tight because Dabang Delhi K.C. have a very balanced and experienced team, both in offence and defence. It was a very good match. We knew from the start itself that it would be a close game and anyone could win. But in the end, we played with a cool mind and focused on ourselves. So, we won.

Q. Sunil, your thoughts about the squad.

Sunil Kumar: It’s also important to have experienced players in your team. Having players like More G B on the mat is very crucial because he guides us during matches and tells us what to expect next from the raiders. So, More G B helped us a lot in this win as well. He executed a thigh hold on Naveen Kumar at an important juncture, which gave us the momentum for the win.

Dabang Delhi K.C.

Q. What went wrong in the second half after leading in the first?

Krishan Kumar Hooda: We made mistakes both while raiding and defending in the second half. It was a very close match and luck also played its part. Gujarat Fortunegiants are also a very good team, no doubt, but so are Dabang Delhi K.C.. Today, we missed two or three opportunities and that led to our defeat.

Q. Are you happy with your team’s fighting spirit?

Krishan Kumar Hooda: Yes, we kept fighting till the last raid because we were of the mindset that we have to win, but the result didn’t go our way.

Q. Joginder, where did the team lose the match today?

Joginder Narwal: Both defence and offence need to take equal responsibility for today’s loss. I am still proud of how we played though. We lost for the first time today after three successive wins. They won the game in the last few minutes of the contest, but I’m still happy with the way my teammates played.