Kashiling Adake has emerged as Delhi’s favourite kabaddi player, overshadowing local star Surjeet Narwal and eliciting the loudest cheers every time he comes out to raid.
On Wednesday, the 21-year-old ensured Dabang Delhi’s loyal, vocal crowd finally had something to cheer about as it wrapped up its home matches with a comprehensive 46-36 win against Bengal Warriors at the Thyagaraj Stadium here on Wednesday.
The win also propelled the winner to fourth place in standings with 13 points in seven games.
Having failed to find its rhythm so far in the tournament, Delhi came into the match desperate for a win.
Star raidersSurjeet Narwal and Adake, as expected, were again its star raiders. The latter, in particular, was the team’s go-to man every time it fell short of players and Adake duly obliged with a point. But the big difference this time was its compact defence.
The inclusion of all-rounders Ravinder Singh and Rakesh Kumar, necessitated by injuries, had the desired effect on the defence. Ravinder was the top defender for Delhi with seven tackles.
There was no miscommunication between the players as Delhi handled the opposition raids with ease.
The host effected three all outs on Bengal — more than it had managed in its previous three games put together. At half time, Delhi had a healthy 27-11 lead.
In contrast, Bengal faltered at every step. At one point, Delhi led 40-14 and looked like running away with the match. Except for raiders Nitin Madane and South Korean Jang Kun Lee, Bengal had nothing going for it.
In fact, Bengal managed to outplay Delhi on raid points solely on the back of these two.
Madane and Lee tried to force a comeback for the visiting team in the second half, reducing the margin to 41-23, but there was little they could do with lack of support from the rest of the team.
The downside was the poor arrangement by the organisers that continued for the fourth day.
No clarity in entry points, haphazard seating enclosures, ill-informed staff and clueless officials — all remained firmly in place. The only saving grace for the event, a least in Delhi, was the high-octane action.
The result: Dabang Delhi 46 (Kashiling Adake 13, Surjeet Narwal 11, Ravinder Singh 7) bt Bengal Warriors 36 (Nitin Madane 13, Jang Kun Lee 12).
