Abhishek Bachchan: Our players have a point to prove now

With the men's kabaddi squad unable to reach Asian Games final for the first time since 1990, Abhishek Bachchan says Pro Kabaddi teams need to learn lessons from defeat

For the first time since kabaddi was included in the Asian Games in 1990, the men's team failed to reach the finals, thus seeing an abrupt end to India's unchallenged domination in the game. Abhishek Bachchan, who has championed kabaddi in an otherwise cricket-obsessed nation through his Pro Kabaddi team — Jaipur Pink Panthers — feels it is up to the players to take the defeat in their stride and surge ahead with renewed vigour. The actor tells mid-day that the episode should serve as a lesson to the teams in the Pro Kabaddi league too.

"Everyone is heartbroken, but at the same time it is good for the sport. It is for the first time that someone knocked out the dominant country. This indicates that it's time to pull up our socks. It's going to make the Pro Kabbadi league even more interesting because now, our players will have a point to prove," says Bachchan.

The Indian kabaddi team at the Asian Games 2018

Choosing to look at the brighter side of things, the actor points out that the country is going through a revolution where sports that were ignored for long, are finally getting their due. It was this very objective, he says, that had made him take a sabbatical from acting for two years and put his might behind the football league, Indian Supper League.

"I believe that with all the professional sporting leagues coming in, it has improved the quality of the sports. The world FIFA ranking of Indian football team has gone up immensely. With the Indian players getting to play under the world class coaches and share the dressing room with some renowned names, the standard is improving."

Also Read: JP Dutta: Even I don't know why Abhishek Bachchan left Paltan

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