Hyderabad/ Mumbai: Ajit Chavan's deep strike, Rohit Raghav's best reserve player (Super Sub) innings and last-second pick-up helped U Mumba beat Patna Pirates 42-20 in a Pro Kabaddi tournament match.
The best moments of the match were seen in the last 10 minutes. After trailing by three points 21-24 in the first half, Patna once changed the complexion of the match thanks to a strong performance from Devank in the second half.
However, there is no denying that they failed to widen the lead gap. Devank and Ian did not get any support from the other players in the team.
Patna could not do much, especially on the defensive front. Of course, it was no different for the U Mumba team. While the statistics show that Ajit Chavan 's (19 points) alone made Mumba's victory a reality, Rohit Raghav's selection as super sub proved to be the most decisive.
The coach's innings was very important. With three minutes left in the match, U Mumba trailed by four points 33-37. He then scored a layup and then a catch to cut the deficit to 37-36. It was one of the most turning moments of the match.
Patna led by one point at 38-37 with one minute left in the match. However, there were only three players in their backyard. Top grip was the only option left for them.
Ajit Chavan, who was playing with great energy this time, scored a point to level the score at 38-38. The final 60 seconds of play were incredibly fast. In the last 42 seconds, Sombir made a mistake to catch Patna's Sandeep and Patna took a 40-38 lead.
Ajit Chavan, who came in at a very fast pace, made a successful layup between two players to make it 40-39. Interestingly, this time Patna was caught in the grip of pickles. They had only one player left. So he wanted to come back only after scoring points.
Zafardanesh ensured U Mumba's victory by taking an accurate shot from Sandeep, who was trying for a bonus at that time. U Mumba managed to take a 40-42 lead over Patna in the last second and that's where the match ended.
Ajit Chavan vs Devank was the match between U Mumba and Patna Pirates. Both of them had added to the complexion of the matches. Ajit scored 19 points while Devank scored 15 points. Ajit got some support from Manjit (5 points), while Devank got some support from Ayan (8). The failure of the defenders was a headache for both teams.
Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas will lock horns in the second match on Wednesday. In this match, Telugu team defeated Tamil team by one point 35-34 to register a thrilling victory.
Pawan Sherawat's strong game was the highlight of the Telugu team's victory. Ashish Narwal supported him well. Sachin gave a tough fight for the Tamil team. But his efforts were not successful.