Nitesh Kumar: Sumit has been a star for us

A scintillating second-half display helped U.P. Yoddha beat Tamil Thalaivas by a scoreline of 42-22 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday. At the post-match press conference, U.P. Yoddha assistant coach Arjun Singh, skipper Nitesh Kumar and raider Rishank Devadiga took questions for their team.

U.P. Yoddha 

Q. Thoughts on the match?

Arjun Singh: We are happy with the win. But we have to maintain this form to ensure we make it to the playoffs. We knew they weren’t going to roll over and they were extremely competitive in the first half. They forced us into taking an early All Out and restrategising our gameplan to win.

Q. What changed in the second half?

Arjun Singh: We were playing a bit loose at the start. There was a hint of complacency. They were a bit more determined than we were. But then we regrouped and got our act together to get the win.

Q. How important is this momentum before heading into your home leg?

Nitesh Kumar: The way we lost to U Mumba was a bit disheartening, but the fightback we showed today and the we way rallied in the second half will give us a lot of confidence and momentum before our next game. And it is important to have momentum when the frequency of games is so high.

Q. Thoughts on Sumit's performance?

Nitesh Kumar: Sumit has been a star for us since the start of the season. He has been a consistent performer and has been a massive addition to our defence.

Q. Rishank, you were quite vocal today. Do you like being a leader?

Rishank Devadiga: It is important for me to take the initiative as the senior member in the squad and lead the troops when I can. Almost everyone in the team willingly takes the initiative when they can. Only when everyone takes responsibility can the team perform well.