Haridwar, March 16 : Sonipat Spartans right raider Ankit Saharwa has been making waves in the Yuva Kabaddi Series since his debut in the Monsoon Edition 2023. One of the brightest kabaddi stars in the country, Ankit, who hails from Saharwa village in Haryana, started his journey in the sport at just 10 years old.

He is playing in the inaugural edition of the Yuva All Stars Championship in Haridwar. The right-raider has earned 20 raid points from five outings. Overall, Ankit has bagged 442 points from 60 matches across four tournaments in the Yuva Kabaddi Series.

Ankit started playing kabaddi in 2017 and joined an academy in Hisar a year later. 'In 2018, I joined an academy in Hisar and left in 2022 due to some issues with the coach,' he said.

Ankit's father is a carpenter and his mother is a housewife. He has one younger sister who is currently pursuing her studies. Despite his modest family background, his family gave him full support and ensured that he faced no financial hindrances during his early years.

His father was also a kabaddi player but couldn't pursue the sport professionally due to lack of support. 'My father was also a kabaddi player but couldn't fulfil his dream due to a big family of 10 siblings. He didn't get the support but wanted me to complete his dream of becoming a big kabaddi player,' he added.

Ankit joined the Yuva Kabaddi Series after a successful trial. 'Rinku called me up and said there was a trial going on for YKS, so he took me over there,' he said opening up about how he made it to the tournament.

He also stated that the tournament helped him make a name in the sport and get recognition. 'I got recognition after playing in the Yuva Kabaddi Series. Everyone started to know me and I got a team to play with when I didn't have anyone to play with me permanently,' he proudly said.

Ankit had a phenomenal start to his Yuva Kabaddi Series career with Murthal Magnets. He made his debut against Palani Tuskers without the club's main raider. Speaking of his experience, he was quoted as saying, 'I single-handedly won the match for my team against the best team in the league. Our team's main raider had returned home for personal reasons and I filled in his shoes and proved myself.'

He has also been a runner-up with the Murthal Magnets in the YKS Winter Edition 2023. The Haryana-born player went through a rough patch as he had been training alone and had no team to practice. Ankit considered quitting kabaddi, but his father ensured he was motivated enough to continue playing the sport.

'I wanted to quit kabaddi in between but my father didn't allow me to do so. He motivated me and assured that he'll take care of everything,' Ankit added.

Ankit, a gold medallist at the All India University Games, is looking for an opportunity to play for a Pro Kabaddi League. He has been training alone for over three years. When asked about how he managed training alone, Ankit answered, 'I set up everything in my mind and practice alone. The corner, the corner's foot, I put a slip and a kick. I have to make a guess ahead and assume a block will come from here. That's how I practice alone.

As the only player from his village, a few young boys from Saharwa village idolise Ankit after seeing his success in the sport. The 12-year-olds join Ankit at training and want to follow in his footsteps in Kabaddi.

Ankit also mentioned that he used to play circle kabaddi just like his father but wanted to play professional kabaddi. His father was in support of him when he shared his interest with him. 'When I saw the Pro Kabaddi League, I wanted to transition into playing professional kabaddi. I told my father that I didn't want to play circle kabaddi and he supported my decision,' Ankit concluded.

/IANS