Bengaluru, Aug 6 (IANS) As part of their pre-season preparations for Pro Kabaddi League Season 12, Adani Sportsline-owned Gujarat Giants had a special interaction with the Indian men’s hockey team at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru.

Gujarat Giants players, Himanshu Jaglan, Rakesh, Parteek Dahiya, Nitin Panwar and V Ajith Kumar along with the head coach Jaivir Sharma, assistant coach Varinder Singh Sandhu and trainer Abhishek Parihar, drew inspiration from the men’s hockey team and even tried their hand at hockey, while the hockey players experienced kabaddi drills in return.

In what was a cross-learning experience, players and coaches discussed the shared physical and tactical demands of hockey and kabaddi, including strength, speed, agility, and tactical awareness. The teams also exchanged insights on strength and conditioning, injury prevention, and ways in which training methods from one sport can benefit performance in the other.

Much to everyone’s delight, the Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and chief coach Craig Fulton even tried their hand at raiding. The fun-inducing and engaging exchange was full of banter, camaraderie and brought smiles across both teams, as the hockey team enjoyed the challenge of a new sport following an intense training session on the turf.

Both teams are currently preparing for their upcoming challenges, the Indian men’s hockey team is gearing up for their Australia tour and the Asia Cup, and the Gujarat Giants for the new PKL season. The session concluded with an exchange of jerseys in a gesture of mutual respect.

Gujarat Giants, who are currently having their pre-season camp at Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, Bengaluru, will begin their PKL campaign against U Mumba on August 30 in Vizag.

Adani Sportsline is the sports arm of the diversified Adani Group, which has a presence in ports, logistics, energy, utility, infrastructure, electric power generation and transmission, mining, airport operations, natural gas, and food processing.

Formed in 2019, Adani Sportsline has an overarching philosophy to inculcate a culture of sports at the grassroots level and create globally competitive opportunities for future champions in India. In line with the group’s vision of nation-building, the company aims to build a world-class ecosystem that nurtures sporting talent, accelerates the sports economy and plays the role of an enabler in India’s journey to become a leading sporting nation.

–IANS

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