Patna Edge out Tamil Thalaivas: Patna Pirates clinched their second win of the campaign with a narrow 24-23 win over Tamil Thalaivas in a thriller at the NSCI Indoor Stadium, Mumbai. Jaideep was the star of the show as he produced another outstanding performance, also claiming a High 5, to guide his team to a win despite Pardeep Narwal having an off day. Rahul Chaudhari and Manjeet Chhillar were yet again the pillars of the Tamil Thalaivas side, who have now been beaten twice in as many games.
Tamil Thalaivas were off in a flash, as they gained a 4-0 lead, thanks to two successful tackles from Manjeet Chhillar and a raid point each from Ajay Thakur and Rahul Chaudhari. But Patna Pirates were back in it in a jiffy as Jaideep effected a super tackle, backed by a two raid point from Esmaeil Maghsoudlou to restore parity for the Pirates.
The next few minutes then saw the teams play on the do or die raids, and Ajay Thakur was successful in making the most of it, however, a super tackle from Iranian Hadi Oshtorak and couple of raid points for the substitute Monu ensure there was nothing between the two sides as the score read 11-11 at half-time.
The two teams started the second half slowly, again playing on the do-or-die raids. Jaideep produced a super tackle for the Pirates to nick ahead of Thalaivas. Backed by Monu’s points in either side of the mat, Pirates took a crucial lead, only to see Rahul Chaudhari produce a two-point raid to bring Thalaivas right back in the game. Monu then produced one of the tackles of the night, as he executed a super tackle to give Pirates a two-point cushion.
Patna then added to their tally, courtesy of Jaideep, and then, first raid points of the night for Pardeep Narwal in the last few minutes, to go 4 points ahead. Thalaivas tried all their might to catch the Pirates, but fell just short, losing the game 23-24.
Starting Sevens
Tamil Thalaivas: Rahul Chaudhari, Ajay Thakur, Ran Singh, Shabeer Bappu, Mohit Chhillar, Manjeet Chhillar
Patna Pirates: Pardeep Narwal, Vikas Jaglan, Jaideep, Jang Kun Lee, Hadi Oshtorak, Neeraj Kumar, Esmaeil Maghsoudlou
Top Performers
Tamil Thalaivas –
Best Raider – Rahul Chaudhari (5 Raid Points)
Best Defender – Manjeet Chhillar (4 Tackle Points)
Patna Pirates –
Best Raider – Monu (3 Raid Points)
Best Defender – Jaideep (7 Tackle Points)
