Kabaddi is a sport that is well-rooted in Indian culture and has a very rich history. Pardeep Narwal is the face of Indian kabaddi and the poster boy of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). He recently became the first player to complete 1,600 career raid points in PKL history. The 26-year-old spoke exclusively to Outlook, soon after achieving this milestone. (Kabaddi News)
Narwal is renowned for breaking records and the amount of love and faith the public showers on him is unmatched. When asked if he thinks his 1,600 raid-point record could be broken in the future, he replied in the affirmative and showed confidence in the future generation.
"Yes, of course, why not? Many players can come closer to that and how long can I play? There is Maninder (Singh), who has more than 1,200 points. A few others are also getting there. The future of kabaddi is bright. So, I will try to score more raid points and be ahead of them until I play", said the UP Yoddhas Captain.
He is the most successful player in PKL history and after breaching the 1,600-point mark, Narwal is focused on more raid points. He set the next target for himself when asked about his reaction after achieving the milestone.
"I would like to score more raid points and 2,000 is my next target. I want to become the first person to achieve 2,000 raid points as well", said Narwal.
Pardeep Narwal hails from a sports background. His uncle was a kabaddi player and the support from the family is immense. It is often considered that a player of such stature must be following a strict diet and schedule for workouts, but Pardeep denied all these claims.
"Fitness is very important. As sportspersons, we need to practice regularly, be it outside or in the gym. And in my diet, I like to eat normal homemade food. I don't eat anything fancy or special. I like to keep my food very simple with doodh and dahi (milk and curd). But yes, you have to do practice as well to digest all that", informed the kabaddi king.
Widely regarded as Dubki King and a record-breaker, Narwal has many nicknames given by fans and commentators. On asked about these nicknames and labels, he smiled and answered, "I do dubki (an offensive raid skill), that's why they call me that. I hope there are no other reasons for that. Gharwale to Pardeep hi bolte hain, baharwale kuch bhi bole, sab acha hai! (My family calls me Pardeep, outsiders can say anything, all's good)".
Kabaddi is a sport that requires strong hands, good reflexes and agility. Pardeep, being the captain of the UP Yoddhas team has a lot of responsibilities. When asked about workload management, he gave huge credit to his coach and the support staff.
"We have all facilities available to us. We have a physio, trainer and massage specialist in the team. A dietitian is also there. Everything is planned accordingly and every staff member knows their role. GMR Group and PKSV Sagar Ji have provided us with all the facilities we need. Coaches play an important role in shaping us. They have also played kabaddi. They know better than us. They advise us when to rest, when to practice, and the dos and don'ts as well. That helps a lot for me and my workload management", the Dubki King told Outlook.
Pradeep is determined to take the UP Yoddhas to their maiden PKL title. The franchise have included two Kenyan players (Helvic Wanjala and Samuel Wafula) in the squad. When asked for any specific reason for including just two foreign players in their squad, his response was straightforward.
"According to the rule, you have to take at least two foreign players. Thankfully, Indian players are doing very well. We believe in our players. The foreign players will also get the opportunity after reading the match situations.
We have made a good team this year. We endeavour to take the winning trophy to Uttar Pradesh", added Narwal.
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Kabaddi players are easily prone to injury, considering the nature of the game. Pardeep is not immune to that. He agreed to have faced some minor injuries but denied any major injury from the sport.
Kabaddi has emerged as a popular sport in India. Sharing his opinion about the future of kabaddi in India, he believes that with each season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), the sport has gained more popularity and attracted a larger audience every year.
"Now, kids are often seen playing kabaddi in the fields. When I was a kid, I used to go to practice in a stadium. Now, there is a kabaddi academy in my village in Sonipat, Haryana. In this year's PKL, there are 4-5 players from my academy. Keeping that in mind, I can say the future of Indian kabaddi is bright", highlighted the star player.
The India national men's kabaddi team recently won the gold medal in this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Pardeep Narwal was not part of the squad that clinched gold in China. On missing the opportunity, he blamed destiny and expressed his joy on the team bagging gold at the continental showpiece, and also pledged to work harder.
Pardeep Narwal has high regard for his fellow state athlete and Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra. Narwal wishes to meet him in person soon and is very impressed by the javelin thrower's accolades for the country.
"He has made the entire nation proud. We are all inspired by him. The level of glory he has brought to our country is unmatched. Although I have not yet met him, seeing an athlete from Haryana achieve so much fills us all with pride," Narwal said on Chopra.
When asked about the comparisons with players from different sports and if that put him under pressure to perform better, he played both aspects down.
"I don't believe in comparisons. Kabaddi has given me so much, there is no pressure in doing the thing that I love the most. Khiladi ko pressure lena hi nahi chahiye (A sportsperson should never be under pressure)", he signed off.
