Jaipur, Sep 12 (IANS) Tamil Thalaivas returned to winning ways with a commanding 46-36 victory against the Bengal Warriorz at the SMS Indoor Stadium on the opening day of the Jaipur leg on Friday.

Led by Arjun Deshwal’s 17 points on the night, it was a team effort from Tamil Thalaivas as Narender Kandola, Ronak, Aashish Umed and Himanshu also made notable contributions. Meanwhile, a Super 10 from Devank Dalal went down in vain for Bengal Warriorz.

It was a rapid start to this game with Arjun and Devank wasting no time to open the scoring for their respective sides. The former helped Tamil Thalaivas cruise to a four-point lead courtesy his five points in as many minutes, leaving Bengal Warriorz to play catch up early on.

Tamil Thalaivas defenders did well to keep Devank at bay but contributions from Punit Kumar and Ankit helped Bengal Warriorz reduce the deficit slightly. After the first ten minutes, Tamil Thalaivas maintained a three-point lead with Narender Kandola also chipping in alongside Arjun on the attacking end.

The Thalaivas soon started to assert their dominance with their starting seven registering at least a point within the opening fourteen minutes of the game. They soon inflicted an all out on the Bengal Warriorz, capitalising on the momentum to open up a ten-point lead in the blink of an eye.

Tamil Thalaivas defence continued to stay relentless, giving their opponents no breathing room in the contest. Meanwhile, the duo of Arjun and Narender combined for 13 points in the first half, giving their team a massive 23-11 lead at half time.

The speed and athleticism of Devank Dalal was on full display in the opening exchanges of the second half, giving Bengal Warriorz some much-needed momentum. The season seven champions completed their first ALL OUT, cutting the deficit down to eight points.

However, every time Bengal Warriorz threatened to go on a run, Tamil Thalaivas shut the door down. Arjun Deshwal completed his Super 10 to ensure his side dictate terms and maintain their healthy eleven-point advantage heading into the final quarter of the game.

Devank also completed his super 10 to keep his team within striking distance but the Bengal Warriorz could never really impose themselves on the game. With under two minutes to go, the season seven champions registered a Super Tackle to make it a seven-point game, getting a glimmer of hope in this game.

Unfortunately for them, Arjun inflicted another all out to seal the deal for Tamil Thalaivas, helping them get over the line in comprehensive fashion, scripting a 46-36 win.

–IANS

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