Defence culprit behind loss against Telugu Titans: Haryana Steelers’ skipper Surender Nada

HARYANA STEELERS, who were unbeaten in their last four games at home, suffered a resounding 19-37 defeat at the hands of Telugu Titans. The JSW-owned franchise failed to counter the visitor’s effort in defence as well as attack.

Haryana skipper Surender Nada attributed their first defeat on home turf to the failure of the defence. Nada reckoned that raiders lost confidence early in the game due to a shaky performance from the defenders.

“The defence made mistakes from the beginning. After the first half, there was only one tackle point. We lost because the defence couldn’t perform. If the defence doesn’t perform then the raiders also lose their confidence. So that was the problem.”

Meanwhile, Titans skipper Rahul Chaudhari expressed his delight after scoring nine raid points and a tackle point to help his team claim a fourth win of the season. Rahul mentioned that his side entered the match with a solid strategy and he was pleased to see the defence click.

“Our coach has given us a lot of practice in defence and has given a lot of practice to me personally as well. We had to play like a team today. If any defender gets the opposition raider, the entire defence will try to tackle him. So this is the reason we won and I am happy with the performance today.” 

When asked about his rivalry with Patna Pirates skipper Pardeep Narwal, the ‘poster boy’ replied,

“Points don’t matter to me. I play for my team and I go and get points for the team. I do not compete with anyone. It really doesn’t matter to me that Pardeep is getting 20 or 25 points in a match. I only keep in mind that I have to perform for my team and that is how I motivate myself.”

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