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Ultimately, quality shone through as UP Yoddha triumphed over the Telugu Titans in Saturday's crunch Pro Kabaddi League encounter. The side from North India registered a well-deserved 39-32 victory over the Titans.
The Yoddha were without two of their main players, Rishank Devadiga and Nitin Tomar in their last outing. As a result, they suffered a heavy loss against the Bengal Warriors. However, against the Titans, they returned to the starting lineup and shined bright.
The Yoddha's assistant coach believes since they're star players, the team is bound to be dependent on them. Captain Nitin Tomar has been operating both as a raider and defender for his side this season.
"Rishank and Nitin had some muscle pain but we introduced them slowly taking into account they don't suffer any further injuries. Both Rishank and Nitin are all-rounders. Nitin is one of India's best all-rounders. Obviously, if star players aren't playing, there is bound to be a difference in quality," he explained.
Telugu Titans never let their guard down. They matched UP at every inch of the way, unlike previous matches, when Rahul Chaudhari spent a lot of time off the mat. As a result, he managed a whopping 12 raid points against the Yoddha. However, his teammates once again let him down though and the Yoddha coach was a relieved man.
"We were always playing to win. Telugu Titans were fighting since they had lost a lot of matches prior to tonight. We were intent on winning at any cost. At times, we let Telugu's raiders get away easily," he said.
At the same time, the coach shrugged off suggestions that his side is only dependent on Rishank and Nitin. He believes due to the longer season, the management will keep trying different combinations and rest their star duo if need be.
"Our bench strength is quite strong. We have Santosh, Mahesh and Surender, they're all good," he stated.
"The kind of focus we've had on physical fitness and conditioning, we are ready to play six or even seven matches continuously. We will play the home leg without any worries," he signed off.
The Yoddha will head into their next match against Patna Pirates with the confidence of having produced a supremely efficient all-round performance. Captain Nitin Tomar led from the front, scoring a super 10. Rishank chipped in with a vital six points of his own. All-rounder, Rajesh Narwal was his usual consistent self, scoring five important points.
