Jaipur Pink Cubs’ Deepanshu Khatri reveals contemplating leaving kabaddi after Khelo India Games exclusion

Haridwar, March 29 (IANS) Jaipur Pink Cubs all-rounder Deepanshu Khatri made his YKS debut in the Division Rounds with Kurukshetra Warriors and earned 17 tackle points from seven matches. He then joined Jaipur Pink Cubs for the Yuva All Stars Championship and has bagged 46 points from 14 games thus far.

Recalling his early career days, Deepanshu opened up about when he was dropped at the last minute from the Khelo India Games 2021 squad. “I was selected for the Khelo India Games. I reached Indore for the tournament and was informed that I’d been omitted from the squad a day before the registration,” he said.

He lost interest in kabaddi and was on the verge of quitting the sport. However, he gathered the courage and worked hard to prove himself. “I suffered a lot and thought of leaving kabaddi but I worked hard and played a tournament in Rajasthan. I won the best defender of the tournament and was motivated to keep going,” Deepanshu said.

Deepanshu is primarily a right-corner defender and was inspired to take up kabaddi by his grandfather, who also used to play the sport in his village. “My grandfather used to play kabaddi in the village. I got inspired by him and started playing kabaddi,” he added.

He hails from Delhi and has always received full support from his family. They have always motivated him to take up the sport professionally and improve his game over time. His coach, Mukesh Khatri, who is also his favourite player, played a crucial role in Deepanshu’s style of play and shaped him into a better player.

The 20-year-old picked Jaipur Pink Panthers as his favourite PKL team and has always dreamt of playing for the club. “I liked Jaipur Pink Panthers from the beginning as they were a strong team and were doing really well in the Pro Kabaddi League,” Deepanshu said.

Deepanshu had a great outing with the Kurukshetra Warriors in the YKS 11 Division Rounds and was satisfied with his performance. However, he sustained an ankle injury and was forced to miss the last few matches. Following a successful trial with the Pink Cubs, he joined the Jaipur-based club for the inaugural edition of the Yuva All Stars Championship.

He was all praise of the Yuva Kabaddi Series and urged more youngsters to make the best use of the platform. “Yuva provides a good platform for junior players to showcase their performance ahead of the Pro Kabaddi League,” he added.

–IANS

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