Jaipur, Sep 26 (IANS) Dabang Delhi defender Fazel Atrachali heaped praise on team captain Ashu Malik for his commanding performance in their dominant win over U Mumba. Fazel expressed his happiness over Ashu’s return from injury, stating, “I’m really glad he’s back. When Ashu is on the mat, every match feels easier.”

Dabang Delhi K.C. got back to winning ways and returned to the top of the table after dismantling U Mumba courtesy of Ashu Malik scoring 23 points – his best ever performance in the league. Registering a 47-26 victory, this was the second highest margin of win in PKL 12.

Addressing the media in the post-match press conference, Ashu Malik shed light on his milestone while also highlighting how his team wanted to minimize errors.“It feels amazing. The team performed brilliantly today, both in offence and in defence. We played well in the last match but we also made a lot of mistakes that cost us the game. So, we wanted to address those mistakes and we did that today, especially in the second half”, he said.

Fazel also shared an insight into the team’s plans, while acknowledging the importance of his captain performances. “Winning the match is important. At the start, our plan was to control them, so we gave them some bonus points. In the second half, me and Surjeet changed our strategy. “You could see that we were tackling more successfully and the match became easier once that happened. Also, when Ashu is playing, every match is easy. So, I’m very happy he is back from injury,” he said.

Echoing the sentiments of his captain, head coach Joginder Narwal added, “We lost our previous match in the dying seconds of the game. That was a mistake from me and my team. However, before this match, I had told my players that we have to focus and play well till the end, and that’s what they did.”

The win took Dabang Delhi K.C. back to the top of the table with 14 points to their name. Reflecting on regaining the top spot, Ashu Malik shared, “You can see that everyone’s enjoyed the win and being at the top of the table also gives everyone confidence that we belong there. We’re playing according to the plans the coach gives us and hopefully, we can continue to do well.”

–IANS

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