If one is watching UP Yoddhas raider Surender Gill play for the first time, it is hard to miss how he always has creases on his forehead, how he’s listening to his coach’s instructions but his attention is on the big screen with the scores. There’s a sense of angst almost, to watch him bear the weight of his team (more often than not) on the mat.
This is by no means an exaggeration. With or without the support of superstar raider Pardeep Narwal, Gill has found himself as the defacto lead raider of a struggling Yoddhas outfit right from last season. He accumulated 140 raid points in 14 matches in a season that also saw him struggle with injuries. This season, he finds himself among the best raiders of the tournament, with 75 points in seven games, including four super 10s.
“A good start is very important for anyone in kabaddi. It boosts your confidence to keep up with the competition. Confidence can sometimes make up for deficits in skill,” Gill told Sportstar.
“We always work in pairs, the raiding is never focussed on one man,” he explained, a little embarrassed when discussing his successes. “If the left cover is weak, Pardeep goes. If the right cover is weak, I go. It’s a partnership,” he said. Surender doubles up in defence, having started his kabaddi journey as a defender in circle kabaddi in Rohtak, Haryana.
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Sports and stability
Last season, Gill was balancing a media course alongside his preparations for the season last time around. He was a science student in school, but realised very early on that an academic life was not for him.
“Masti ke liye khelte the kabaddi (we played the sport for fun). After a while, it became something we could build a career on,” he added.
It is hard to constantly work one’s body as an athlete, and Surender is aware of the need for a sense of balance. There’s a generous dose of PUBG peppered into his routine.
“I am not a serious person at all,” he said. “Life is not kabaddi kabaddi kabaddi 24x7. I am able to compartmentalise it properly. The chat about the game has its place but balance is important and it’s something I’ve done all my life,” he added.
UP Yoddhas has a side that has consistently made the knockouts but if it hopes to go a step further and win the title, this outfit might be looking past its fabled talisman (Narwal) and pinning its hopes on the towering 25-year-old and Surender is happy to deliver.
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