Siddharth Desai: I was very relaxed whenever I went in to raid

Siddharth Desai scored 16 second-half points to inspire U Mumba to a come-from-behind victory over Dabang Delhi K.C. at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in Delhi on Saturday. U Mumba were represented at the post-match press conference by captain Fazel Atrachali and Siddharth Desai while Dabang Delhi K.C. were represented by coach Krishan Kumar Hooda.

U Mumba

Q: What was the strategy behind your putting in very few raids in the first half?

Siddharth Desai: In our previous match against Dabang Delhi K.C., Rohit Baliyan performed really well. The plan was for him to raid more since he performed well against them last time around. However, we ended up facing a deficit at the end of the half. I got my turn in the second half and thankfully I performed well when the team needed me to.

Q: What do you have to say about the match?

Fazel Atrachali: It was a tough game. We couldn’t get going in the first half. The first half of a game is very important. The second half becomes easier if you play well in the first half. However, a kabaddi match is 40 minutes long. We fought in the second half and got the result we wanted.

Q: What was the difference between the two halves?

Fazel Atrachali: We committed many mistakes in the first half. We didn’t stick to our plans and that put us behind. We changed our strategies for the second half. The coach asked us to stick to the changed strategies and that ensured we won the game.

Q: What was going through your mind before the four-point raid?

Siddharth Desai: The scores were level before I went in to raid. I wanted to get at least a point to put us back ahead. I was very relaxed whenever I went in to raid and ended up getting four points on that occasion. This was very crucial as this put the game out of their reach.

Dabang Delhi K.C.

Q: Where do you think it all went wrong?

Krishan Kumar Hooda: With three minutes to go, the scores were level, and anything could have happened. However, our defence committed a crucial mistake and we ended up giving away four points. We went in for an advanced tackle and didn’t end up supporting our defender. Siddharth Desai just blasted past them. He might have had trouble getting through if we had support. We would maybe have been able to push him out of the mat instead.

Q: What was the difference between the two halves?

Krishan Kumar Hooda: There was a difference in strategies. Siddharth Desai was the difference as well. He didn’t raid much in the first half but came at us in the second.