Jaipur, Jan 12 (PTI) Riding on Arjun Deshwal’s Super 10, Jaipur Pink Panthers began their home leg with a narrow 38-35 win over Telugu Titans to extend their unbeaten run to seven games in the Pro Kabaddi League here on Friday.

Deshwal grabbed his 4th Super 10 in as many games as he finished with 14 raid points, while Telugu Titans captain Pawan Sehrawat bagged 12 points at the SMS Indoor Stadium here.

Arjun, this season’s top raider, needed no time to settle in as he struck from his very first raid. He was ably supported by Ankush and Reza Mirbagheri in defence as the home team raced to a 9-5 lead.

A moment of brilliance from Arjun, where he got past the duo of Hamid Nader and Nitin, inflicted the first ALL OUT on Telugu Titans and they trailed 6-14 in the 13th minute.

The Panthers needed just five minutes to inflict a second ALL OUT. That phase of play belonged completely to Arjun as he completed his Super 10, while Ankush produced a ferocious dash to push Pawan Sehrawat off the mat.

Pawan was kept off the mat for over seven minutes as the hosts led 27-8 at the interval.

In the second half, the Titans stepped up the defence. Led by Sandeep Dhull, they produced a series of sharp tackles to reduce the number of pink jerseys on the mat and Pawan completed the clean-up act to grab the ALL OUT. With 10 minutes to go, the scoreline read 33-21.

Pawan switched gears thereon as he picked up points off successive raids before stopping V Ajith with a superb back hold.

Jaipur were down to two men at that point and in a spot of bother. Lucky Sharma stepped out of bounds and then Bhavani Rajput was flattened on the mat as Titans inflicted another ALL OUT.

It marked a sensational comeback from them, as they fought their way back from a 19-point deficit to now trail by just five. Jaipur held on to a narrow lead at 36-31 with four minutes to go.

Their lead was reduced to a mere three points, but the Panthers held on to ensure that they began their home leg on a victorious note.

Source: PTI News