The Rajasthan Patriots secured a stunning victory against Garvit Gujarat in the dying embers of the game as the clash ended 29-27 in their favour in a close-run affair.
Match 8 in the inaugural season of the Premier Handball League saw home team Rajasthan Patriots take on Garvit Gujarat in a packed Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur. Both teams started the game aggressively and were looking to control the game. Gujarat’s Tarun Thakur and Avin Khatkar were combining well in the opening minutes of the game and helped Garvit Gujarat establish an early lead. Rajasthan came roaring back into the game as Sahil Malik looked in fine touch and was unstoppable at times in the initial exchanges of the tie. Mohit Ghanghas and Sumit were also playing a pivotal role for the Patriots as they slowly wrestled back the control of the game. Half way through in the first period the score read 7-7 as both teams were showing great attacking verve. Rajasthan continued piling on the pressure on Gujarat as they took the lead thanks to Sahil Malik but goals from Harender Singh Nain for Gujarat made sure the Patriots were not able to establish an unassailable lead. Soon after the half came to a close as the scores read 16-11 in favour of the Rajasthan Patriots.
Garvit Gujarat came out for the second half determined to bridge the gap. Harender Singh Nain and Tarun Thakur started the second period efficiently as they were easily able to break through Rajasthan’s defences. The introduction of Tuliboev Mukhtor for Gujarat brought them back into the game as he scored two phenomenal goals back-to-back from the wing. The Patriots looked shell shocked as they were struggling to find the back of the net consistently in the opening exchanges of the second half.
By the 45th minute Garvit Gujarat had completed their comeback as the scores read 19 all. In the hopes of finding a foothold in the second half the Patriots brought on Arjun Lakra and Dmitry Kireev who made their attack more potent. The Patriots then slowly found their attacking rhythm matching Gujarat blow for blow. Both teams were neck to neck going into the last 5 minutes of the game as Gujarat was leading by a mere two goals. The reintroduction of Sahil Malik for the Patriots saw Hardev Singh also come to life in attack as they quickly worked together to establish a two-goal lead against the run of play for Rajasthan in the dying embers of the game. Soon after the game ended 29-27 in favour of the Rajasthan Patriots who showed great fighting spirit throughout the game to clinch the victory at the end.
Sahil Malik and Dmitry Kireev emerged as the joint top scorers for the Rajasthan Patriots in tie with 6 goals apiece. Garvit Gujarat’s captain Avin Khatkar was the top scorer for his team in the match with 9 goals. The spectacular attacking display by Sahil Malik saw him win the player of the match.
