Kabaddi World Cup 2016: Jasvir Singh's aggression and experience make him India's lethal weapon

Name: Jasvir Singh Age: 32 Position/Player type: Raider Key move/Strengths: Jasvir Singh’s greatest weapon is the scorpion kick. It is a swift attack with a back kick that’s meant to catch opponent defenders by surprise. Jasvir is bit of a maverick and nobody knows what you will get from him. On his day, there are very few players who are more destructive that him. Being experienced and unpredictable, Jasvir boasts of an unique but deadly combination of qualities. Past record: Jasvir was part of India’s gold-medal winning teams at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. So the veteran raider knows what it takes to win big tournaments. [caption id=“attachment_3028874” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Raider Jasvir Singh. Image courtesy: Star Sports[/caption] He is a real talisman and has been one of the stars of Jaipur Pink Panthers. Their title-winning exploits in the first season of the Pro-Kabaddi League (PKL) and a runners-up finish in the fourth season provide enough evidence of how destructive Jasvir can be. A leader through and through, Jasvir’s captaincy has been one of the highlights of Jaipur Pink Panthers’ campaigns, and he can be said to be the face of the Abhishek Bachchan-owned franchise. A stellar tally of 300 raids in 46 PKL games tells you how good is. His form as a raider has been patchy since the start of the PKL, and it has been one of the reasons for the Pink Panthers’ roller-coaster ride. It just goes to show the kind of influence he can have on a side’s fortunes. Hence it was little surprise when Balwan Singh, who coached Jasvir at Pink Panthers, chose to go with Jasvir’s experience over the youthful exuberance of Kashiling Adake and Rishank Devadiga. Jasvir hails from the Haryana, a state that has been a hotbed of kabaddi talent in recent years. With nine players in the current Indian team hailing from the state, there would be a natural bonding between the players. The 32-year-old Jasvir who has seen many of the younger members of the side develop over the past few years, thus becomes an ideal foil for captain Anup Kumar, not just as a leader, but also as a raider who can play an anchor role. Jasvir might have to do with a fringe role in the World Cup as the coach may choose to opt for young legs, but it will be tough to keep Jasvir, who possesses a lethal combination of experience and aggression, away from action. With inputs from Star Sports release