Pirates executed the plan to perfection, says coach after easy win

Patna Pirates started off their title defence with back-to-back wins over Telugu Titans in the Hyderabad leg of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5. The Pirates never looked to be in any spot of bother in either of their games and cruised comfortably to victory. On Thursday, their raiders demolished the Telugu Titans defence as the team amassed 43 points, inflicting two All-Outs in the process.

Patna Pirates coach Ram Mehar Singh couldn’t find much fault with the performance of his players that inspired a 43-36 win at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium. “Our attacking combination played well and was ably supported by the defenders,” he said at the post-match press conference, “We came in with a plan and executed it to perfection. In fact, for a long time it was a purely one-sided affair till Telugu Titans managed to pull it back in the closing minutes.”

The raiding combination of Dubki King Pardeep Narwal and Monu Goyat has been one of the highlights of the double defending champions’ campaign this season. Speaking about his star raiders, the Pirates coach said: “The Pardeep-Monu combination has been working well for us. If this continues, things look ominous for our opponents.”

Singh also lavished praise on the team’s defence headed by the experienced Vishal Mane. “Vishal Mane showed tremendous grit and managed to control the defence at crucial junctures. In the next match, we will try and ensure that even the small errors we made during the game are fixed and we turn into an even more lethal unit,” he said.

The poor show of Telugu Titans, meanwhile, raised questions over the ability of players to perform day in and day out in their home leg with very little time to recuperate between matches. Singh, however, dismissed such concerns about the fitness levels of players. “We have trained the players well in the pre-league coaching camp and I am confident they will not tire even if they play each and every day,” said the Patna coach with conviction, after handing the Titans their fifth straight loss.