However, it all came crumbling down for the debutants as they could just claim six wins from 22 matches, and at the back of that shoddy performance, finished with the wooden spoon from Zone ‘B’.
Yet, even in the spate of losses, a young defender, playing his first ever season which was only his first feel of the action on a mat shone through. That was none other than Karnataka’s budding cover defender Darshan J, who finished with 41 points from 20 games and made a mark in his debut season.
Ahead of the sixth season, the Thalaivas opted to retain faith in their young defender, hoping for his rich vein of form to continue in the upcoming season. Ajay Thakur too, in a recent interview with Sportskeeda mentioned about how Darshan can be expected to have a terrific sixth season.
Sportskeeda caught up with Darshan, who discussed his family’s contribution to his career, his favorite players and Ajay Thakur’s calming influence on his style of play.
Darshan, who hails from Nelamangala in Karnataka claims that he initially did not have any knowledge about the sport and only was introduced to the game by a couple of seniors, who took him along for practice.
A consistent performer at the local circuit, Darshan soon found a place in the Karnataka team for the Nationals and the Federation Cup, which boosted his chances to get picked in the Pro Kabaddi League. In season five, Darshan found interest in Tamil Thalaivas but claims that his real turning point would be the fact that the Thalaivas retained him.
Having already played one season for the Thalaivas and making a name for himself, Darshan is quick to trace his roots back to his hometown, where his kabaddi inspiration resides.
Having drawn inspiration from back home, Darshan is also quick to add that the presence of his senior statesman, Sukesh Hegde in the Thalaivas team this season is sure to give him a lot of confidence.
A right cover defender, this season, Darshan will have the mighty presence of Manjeet Chhillar on the left cover, whose experience will certainly come in handy for the rest of the team. Darshan dealt with the veteran all-rounder’s presence on the mat, off the mat and his technique of guiding the youngsters in the team.
A force to reckon with on the mat in that previous season, Darshan also enjoys his time chatting away with his Thalaivas teammates, who he has built a close alliance with. Now that the Thalaivas have managed to rope in some experience, it is all fun and games ahead of the grueling season ahead.
Darshan had a fantastic outing with the Thalaivas last season and attributes a major chunk of his success to skipper Ajay Thakur, who he believes is one of the best captains he has played under.
With the sixth season fast approaching, Darshan is very optimistic himself about the Thalaivas chances to go all the way, with the mix of youth and experience set to decorate their campaign.
The young defender will be in action for the Thalaivas when they kick-off their campaign against defending champions Patna Pirates at home on the 7th of October 2018.
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