Gujarat Fortunegiants (GFG) has got a taste of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi success, winning its first three homes matches at the Arena by Transstadia. It is leading Zone A with 23 points from four wins and a tied match against Haryana Steelers in Hyderabad. It has only lost one match (to the Steelers in Nagpur) so far.
While the focus was initially on Sukesh Hegde, Rakesh Narwal and the two Iranian defenders — Fazel Atrachali and Abozar Mighani, GFG’s Sachin Tawar has made people take notice of him with his electrifying performances.
Since creating an impact in the third match against Haryana Steelers, which his team lost, the 18-year-old has taken the PKL by storm.
He has won 33 raid points and four tackle points for a tally of 37, and is currently placed fourth in the league’s honours list behind Rahul Chaudhari (65, Telugu Titans), Rohit Kumar (65, Bengaluru Bulls) and Pardeep Narwal (61, Patna Pirates).
Sachin has been so impressive with his raids in the three matches against U Mumba, Dabang Delhi KC and Jaipur Pink Panthers that the crowd here has started chanting “ Sachin, Sachin” to cheer him on. It is akin to what the spectators did for Sachin Tendulkar at cricket venues.
The GFG now looks like a settled team with the likes of Rohit Gulia, Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar chipping in with solid displays in defence and attack. Gujarat began cautiously against the Jaipur side on Sunday, but it roared to form in the second half. Its remaining home matches are against Bengaluru Bulls, Telugu Titans and Bengal Warriors and it should go to Lucknow with its reputation and the league position in tact.
The competition will resume on Independence Day with the first match to be played between Bengal Warriors and Puneri Paltan (8 PM). The second match (at 9 PM) will feature Gujarat Fortunegiants and Bengaluru Bulls.
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