Pawan Sehrawat believes scoring points in the first two raids relieves pressure on the team instead of going into Do-or-Die situations.
Bengaluru Bulls ace Pawan Sehrawat has been a raiding juggernaut in vivo Pro Kabaddi since Season 6 and has scored 617 raid points in the last two campaigns for his side.
The Hi-Flyer has ranked among the top three in raid points, Super Raids and Super 10s in each of the past two seasons, but he has been outside the top 5 in Do-or-Die raid points in both campaigns. On vivo Pro Kabaddi’s weekly Instagram LIVE series ‘Beyond The Mat’, the Hi-Flyer explained why he is not too keen on raiding in Do-or-Die situations.
“I try my level best not to put in empty raids,” said Pawan Sehrawat, “Instead, I attack a little harder in the two raids preceding the Do-or-Die raid.”
Sehrawat is currently ranked 13th in the league in Do-or-die raid points in Season 7, with only a meagre 18 off his 346 raid points coming in the must-score situation. But he insisted that those statistics are by design rather than coincidental.
“I have trained myself to have the same approach in a normal raid that I would in a Do-or-Die raid, which is to always be on the lookout for points. That way the opponent is always under pressure,” he explained.
Attack every raid
“There is nothing forced about the two raids before the Do-or-Die raid which makes them easier to handle,” said Sehrawat, “There is always the pressure of scoring on the third raid and that could involuntarily lead to mistakes.”
To avoid facing a must-score scenario, the Season 6 MVP simply opts to use the first two raids in sequence to his advantage in order to have a higher chance of staying on the mat for his side.
According to Sehrawat, this is not just his, but the Bengaluru Bulls’ approach when raiding.
“Whenever we are on the mat, Rohit (Kumar) and I discuss and try and ensure that we do not have to face a Do-or-Die situation. If you look up the numbers, they will tell you that Bengaluru Bulls are among the teams that have attempted the fewest Do-or-Die raids,” said the Hi-Flyer.
What do the stats suggest?
The numbers also back the former MVP’s claim in this regard. Bengaluru Bulls put in just 101 Do-or-Die raids in Season 7, the second-fewest in the league. Table-toppers and runners-up Dabang Delhi K.C. were the only team with fewer Do-or-Die raid attempts, facing 92 in their 24 matches.
Bengaluru Bulls led the league in raid points with 533 and had the second-best strike rate at 52.61, however, in Do-or-Die situations, only Telugu Titans with 49 had fewer raid points than Bengaluru Bulls’ tally of 54. Bengaluru Bulls’ strike rate in Do-or-Die situations also ranked 10th in the league, further corroborating Sehrawat’s claim.
“The plan is always clear from the start. If you don’t want to put the added pressure of a Do-or-Die raid on your team and yourself then put in the extra effort even in raids where there is no compulsion to score,” he concluded.
