U.P. Yoddha got the better of home side Telugu Titans in a low-scoring thriller at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Vizag on Tuesday. Representing U.P. Yoddha at the post-match press conference were captain Rishank Devadiga and assistant coach Arjun Singh. The home side were represented by captain Vishal Bhardwaj and assistant coach Sai Prasad.

U.P. Yoddha

Q: What was your strategy for today’s game?

Rishank Devadiga: We wanted to play a defensive game throughout. Our defence was exceptional today, they didn’t give the opposition raiders too much freedom. Our plan was that only one raider will attack them and score points. Prashanth Kumar Rai did that job for us in the first half. The turning point of the game was Sachin Kumar getting us the two points that enabled us to inflict the All-Out.

Q: What do you think worked against Telugu Titans?

Rishank Devadiga: We managed to score crucial points in important junctures of the match. We scored points off them in the Do-or-Die raids, while not giving them too many points in such situations. We were able to score when required and also make sure we didn’t give away too many points and that helped us win.

Q: How does it feel to win two matches on the trot?

Rishank Devadiga: We are in a sink-or-sail situation. We have four more games remaining, and we have to win all four if we are to stand a chance of qualifying for the Playoffs. We are targeting one match at a time. We played according to our strategy today and it worked throughout. One of our strategies was to keep the opposition raiders quiet and we were hugely successful. Nitesh Kumar had the better of Rahul Chaudhari all game long. That gave us extra motivation to perform better.

Telugu Titans

Q: What was your strategy for the game today?

Sai Prasad: Our raiders could have played better today. We were leading by a point at the end of the first half, but after that our raiders were contained well in the second half. Our defence, especially at the Left Corner, could have done better as well.

Q: What was your plan after the All-Out?

Vishal Bhardwaj: After U.P. Yoddha got the All-Out we knew that they will play safe and go on the defensive, opting to play on the Do-or-Die raids. We needed to change the match situation, but we couldn’t get points. We were leading and hadn’t given up on the match, but the defence gave away a few points as well. We were hopeful of making a comeback until the end, but weren’t able to convert attempted tackles into points, or get raid points.