Pro Kabaddi League: Sachin Tanwar and the charm of underrated excellence

The Indian kabaddi ecosystem is familiar with the exploits of Sachin Tanwar. The raider from Rajasthan has donned Patna Pirates colours for a few seasons now, and his consistency earned him a spot in India’s successful campaigns at the Asian Kabaddi Championship in Busan and the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

A striking feature of Sachin’s career so far has been his efficacy as his team’s crisis man. While he often finds himself waging a lone battle, he had the company of his elder brother, Deepak Kumar, when he started out in the sport. Sachin, the younger of the two siblings, is a household name while Deepak’s perseverance bore fruit with a Pro Kabaddi debut this season, in his brother’s team no less.

Brothers in arms

Early on, however, Sachin’s big break came at his brother’s expense.

“In 2015, my brother was selected for the 2015 Junior Asian Championship. However, he suffered a ligament tear. Eventually, for reasons we don’t know, the whole tournament was cancelled,” Sachin tellsSportstar on the sidelines of PKL’s 10 edition.

“Following this setback, our state coach reached out to my brother to check on his fitness. During their conversation, my brother recommended my name to fill in for him in the district and state tournaments. The coach conducted a trial for me, and that marked the proper beginning of my journey in the sport. I owe whatever I have achieved to Deepak,” he adds.

Sachin comes from a farming background and was introduced to kabaddi by his uncle, Rakesh Chauhan, a national player in his time.

His parents initially held reservations about their sons venturing into the world of sports. Their aspirations were firmly anchored on ensuring the boys studied well. Kabaddi didn’t immediately captivate Sachin either.

“I was not very disciplined at the start. Kabhi mann kiya toh chala gya… warna nhi gaya (If ever I felt like going, I went; otherwise, I didn’t go). I used to hide from my brother, who used to take me to the ground initially,” he says sheepishly.

Watching Deepak keep at it rubbed off on Sachin too, who eventually found enjoyment in the sport. Then there was no turning back.

Fighting for India, one way or the other

“I never liked studying. I used to bunk classes, and you could find me playing kabaddi,” he adds.

Sachin never imagined himself as a professional kabaddi player, as his wish was to enlist in the Indian Armed Forces.

“Boys from middle-class families often harbour a single ambition: to join the Army and serve our country. We begin running and preparing for the physical tests; the craze for defence services in my hometown is there for all to see,” he recollects.

Meanwhile, his kabaddi career was blossoming. At the age of 17, he earned a spot on the Rajasthan Under-19 team and played for the Junior Nationals in Madhya Pradesh, where his state finished third. He emerged as his team’s top raider.

His success helped him break into the national side for the Junior Asian Championship in 2016. Sachin was also made captain for that campaign, held in Iran — another kabaddi hotbed — and came home with a gold medal, beating the host in the final.

Sachin’s first taste of success at the senior level came the very next year, in the same country, when he was chosen for the senior side heading to Gorgan for the Asian Kabaddi Championship. He rubbed shoulders with seasoned pros like Ajay Thakur, Rahul Chaudhari, Deepak Niwas Hooda, Nitin Tomar, and Surender Nada.

Pro Kabaddi comes calling

Despite two triumphant sojourns in Iran, Sachin missed out on a Pro Kabaddi spot in 2016 due to a technicality. While he had been signed by the Telugu Titans, he couldn’t participate due to the New Young Programme, which requires players to be at least 18 years of age or older.

“I was playing on a contract basis for ONGC under coach Manpreet Singhsaab (who currently coaches the Haryana Steelers in PKL). We participated in numerous tournaments in Chennai and Kanyakumari. Manpreet paaji saw what I could do and assured me that he would pick me up at the auction,” Sachin remembers.

Manpreet was then the coach of one of the new franchises in the PKL — Gujarat Fortune Giants (now Gujarat Giants). He kept his word and secured Sachin for a sum of Rs. 36 lakh.

The teenager quickly got off the blocks to become Gujarat’s poster boy ahead of more experienced players like Mahendra Singh Rajput and Sukesh Hegde.

This was around the same time that names like Pawan Sehrawat and Rohit Gulia were still fresh-faced talents taking their time to settle. Not Sachin, though. He wasted no time in accumulating 173 points in 24 games, playing a key role in the side making the final of that edition.

His performances sealed his retention for the next season, and Sachin came through once more, scoring 204 points (190 of those in raiding) and seeing the side through to its second consecutive summit clash. Gujarat lost both of those title bouts, but Sachin was the silver lining, scoring resilient Super 10s on both occasions.

The seventh season of PKL was underwhelming for the raider, who could accrue only 85 points.

Testing times

Eventually, he moved from Gujarat to Patna, and it was business as usual as he managed 183 points playing in a three-pronged raiding unit and played his third final in four seasons.

While much had changed for the man, his bad luck in finals continued as Patna finished second best to Dabang Delhi by the barest of margins — a solitary point.

“This has happened to me three times, where I’ve missed out on the trophy after getting so close,” Sachin says.

While the 24-year-old has seen the euphoric highs of dominant campaigns, he has also dealt with the difficulties of poor collective form. Particularly in PKL 9, when Patna could not replicate its command on the mat from the previous edition and finished 10th in the standings.

Rain or shine, it didn’t matter. Sachin’s consistency endured, with the raider registering 179 points in the season.

It’s not so much the hoard of points he has as how those points have come. As of January 27, Sachin has 904 raid points (956 overall), out of which 223 have come from do-or-die raids.

His effectiveness in these crunch raids, where the player has to come back with either a bonus or a touch, has set him apart from the more widely followed stars of the league.

“My life’s very first raid in PKL was a do-or-die raid. I still remember that match against Dabang Delhi.

“I came back with points when I was sent early on for do-or-die raids, and success meant I got more opportunities. It has now become something I am associated with,” Sachin explains.

Becoming Sachin

Sachin’s unassuming nature means that the celebrity status that often gets accorded to his peers slips past him. It doesn’t bother the Patna raider. For him, the raucous welcome he gets when he heads home is the biggest ego boost of all.

“My brother and I were, for a long time, the only kabaddi players from our village. That has changed now. I love going back home. So many people come up to me; they are either players or fans. Now 50–60 kids have taken up the game after seeing me on TV and what I do.

“So I spend time sharing what I know with them. During the off-season, when I am home, I practise with them, and that motivates them a lot,” Sachin says.

An Asian Games gold, national recognition, and a formidable record in the best league in the sport — life’s not too shabby for Sachin.

However, bringing back a PKL champion’s medal and cheque to parents who worried about the comforts a life in sports could give him would be a great way to let life come full circle.

More stories from this issue