Pro Kabaddi League 2018: "Our main focus was on the defence," says UP skipper Rishank Devadiga after win over Telugu Titans

The Telugu Titans fell to their second loss of the home leg as they failed to latch on to a slender 11-10 lead against the UP Yoddha, who registered only their fifth PKL 2018 win from 18 matches with a 27-20 scoreline at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Vishakapatnam on Tuesday.

With both teams trading a blow for blow, it was only a matter of who would crumble first as both teams went into the break with a need to come out with a clear-cut strategy of play for the important second half.

The hosts enjoyed a tight one-point lead at the break but a rare failure for Rahul Chaudhari meant that his inefficiency to pick up points in the game, especially in the Do-or-Die situation, where he was caught on five occasions, played a damp squib in the Titans' plans.

Abozar Mighani was the highlight for the Titans as he finished with six tackle points but even his flair on the day did not suffice as Prashant Kumar Rai, who finished with eight points, was the standout player.

Nitesh Kumar, a key component of the UP defense, was instrumental in keeping the 'Raid Machine' quiet while his defense partners Jeeva Kumar and Narender contributed with two points each.

Laying out the strategy for the game which saw the Yoddha give the hosts a run for their money, skipper Rishank Devadiga shed light on their 'defensive strategy' on the day.

"The strategy was to go in with a defensive style of play. The plan worked as the defenders did an exceptional job and did not give the opposition raiders any easy points. In crucial moments, our raiders were also successful in scoring points which gave us an advantage."

Coach Jasveer Singh, who reiterated the strategy that skipper Rishank laid out, emphasized on the fact that they used the must-win pressure situation on the hosts to bring the downfall of the Titans.

"We planned in a way such that they would wilt under pressure. The defenders were the main focus, and since we did not allow the Titans' raiders to score points, they failed to pick up points and hence we were successful in our strategy."

While one team celebrated an important win, the hosts Telugu Titans were a dismayed unit at the end of the game and coach Sai Prasad elaborated on the main reasons for their loss.

"Our raiders had an off-day today and that was a major turning point. Our defense was a little shaky and we could have performed better as a unit."

Titans' skipper Vishal Bharadwaj also labeled the loss as a tough pill to swallow and added that it was the lack of cohesion from both departments which led to the loss.

"The plan of us in the defense was to trap them during the Do-or-Die raids. However, they played a safe game since they were in the lead and since the raiders also could not bring back too many points, it did not help our cause," he signed off.

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