Kabaddi World Cup 2016: Meet Pardeep Narwal, India's newest teenage sensation

Name: Pardeep Narwal Age: 19 Position: Raider Key move**:** Pardeep Narwal is a raider who has used the dubki to great effect. In this, he uses his agility to dive under a defender’s leap and escape from his clutches, to take home full points. Pardeep has used the dubki to great effect and no defence has yet had an answer to it. Coming into the Kabaddi World Cup in red-hot from, Pardeep could be India’s deadliest weapon. Past record: Pardeep Narwal was the most successful raider in season three of the Pro Kabaddi League, and was also adjudged the Most Valuable Player in the fourth edition of the league. [caption id=“attachment_3032108” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Pardeep Narwal. Image courtesy: Star Sports[/caption] Still only aged 19, Pardeep Narwal is already the best young kabaddi player in India currently. Ever since moving to Patna Pirates in season three of the PKL, he has improved dramatically. He scored 116 raid points that season, guiding the Patna Pirates to their maiden PKL title. The Haryana-born raider was impressive throughout the campaign, but his acrobatic super raid against the Puneri Paltan in the semi-final clash truly announced him on the big stage. Five Puneri Paltan players pounced on Pardeep and tried to halt his charge, but the tenacious raider somehow managed to stick his foot over the line and enforced an all-out on the Paltan, which they never recovered from. That moment of magic from Pardeep is regarded as one of the finest moments in PKL history. Pardeep later proved that these exploits weren’t a flash in the pan, when he racked up 100 raid points in the fourth season, as Patna Pirates defended their title. Winning the Most Valuable Player award capped off two excellent seasons. But things were to get only better for the 19-year-old, with his selection to the national team for the Kabaddi World Cup. A winners’ medal at the end of it would just be the icing on the cake. Born in Sonipat, the kabaddi capital of India, Pardeep has been playing since his early childhood. In fact, the 19-year-old doesn’t even his first tryst with the game. “I don’t remember when I first played kabaddi. From what I remember, I have always been playing it. Sonipat is crazy about the game and all the kids play kabaddi,” Pardeep Narwal had told Sportskeeda in an interview. “Pardeep is a very good player. He has got enormous talent and skills, and he will be a big player for India in the coming years,” Patna Pirates captain Dharmaraj Cheralathan told Firstpost ahead of the World Cup. It could very well be the first time the world sees a man who could potentially be India’s next big kabaddi prodigy. With inputs from Star Sports