, Pardeep Narwal created yet another history as he crossed 1,000 raid points mark in
51-26 at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Monday.
UP’s cover combination of Nitesh Kumar and Sumit is regarded amongst the best in the league and it was not surprising the match was called the battle of defences because on the other side was Sunil Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal, another great defensive duo. It was not therefore too surprising to see the raiders struggle to clinch points in the early minutes of the first half.
Sachin’s return to the squad has been a vital factor in Gujarat’s improved form in the recent matches and the raider was once again influential as he secured to a two-point raid in the sixth minute to give Gujarat a slender lead. But Shrikanth Jadhav immediately restored parity with a two-point raid for the Yoddha as both sides continued to trade blows. With Monu Goyat still suffering an injury, UP’s raiding duties had fallen on the shoulders of Jadhav and Surender Gill, something they had so far managed to do with ease. The latter was the difference-maker for Yoddha in the second half as he pulled off a series of successful raids to enforce an All-Out on Gujarat in the final minute of the first half to open up a 7-point lead (16-9).
