Mumbai: Speaking exclusively on KBD Live on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Rishank Devadiga weighed in on Gujarat Giants captain Mohammadreza Shadloui’s leadership, particularly during his last-ditch raid in the tiebreaker against U Mumba in Match 4 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12:
“There was definitely a bit of overconfidence in him. Shadloui was under pressure and looked clueless at times. And as captain, he should have read the game much better. During that last raid by Shadloui, Sunil came forward willing to concede a point, and Shadloui should have accepted it with both hands.”
Speaking exclusively on KBD Live on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Sunil Taneja reflected on Mohammadreza Shadloui’s bold pre-match claim of being the best, and explained how U Mumba captain Sunil Kumar proved him wrong on the mat: “I had met Sunil post today’s match, while he was receiving his award. I congratulated him, and he repeated the same thing to me that he had said on the mic. Shadloui had told him, ‘I am the best.’ But how can you just claim to be the best? The matches decide who the best is. And people like Sunil don’t mess with anyone — but if you mess with them, they won’t spare you.”
Taneja compared the captaincy of Shadloui and UP Yoddhas captain Sumit Sangwan in their Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 openers: “Shadloui is a new captain, and so is Sumit Sangwan. The difference was clear — Shadloui looked rattled under pressure, while Sumit played with a cool head and registered 8 points in the very first match of the season (Match 3 against Telugu Titans). When you take on the captaincy role, especially as a left corner, it comes with big responsibility. This time, Nitesh wasn’t there, and Hitesh stepped in. It was the same case last season too, but even with a new partner, you can’t afford to show fear as a captain. Sumit executed brilliant tackles, and across the entire match, he was dismissed only once. That’s how a captain leads from the front.”
