Last year, Kiraak Hyderabad missed lifting the trophy by a small margin. No one had worked harder than the captain of the team, Asker Ali himself. The 80 KG Pro Panja League champion had run through the entire tournament having defeated everyone in his route towards the final. However, in the key decider, he lost to the Kochi KD’s champion Mazahir Saidu.
Asker Ali has been working hard behind the scenes leading up to Season 2 and the Sports India Show had the opportunity to catch up with him.
Exclusive Interview with Asker Ali
1) How’s the training going?
The training is going very good and I am focusing on armwrestling workouts.
2) What are the changes are you making in season 2 to improve yourself?
The main changes that I am making in leading up to season 2 is that I am not only working on strengthening my hook but also working on different moves.
3) What was your most memorable moment from Season 1?
I cannot point out to one incident. The entire first season of Pro Panja League was memorable for me.
4) Who do you see your strongest challenger in Season 2 in the 80 kg category?
There will be no challenging matches for me in season 2 because I am completely fit now and my left hand is okay and I can even grip the handle very tightly. I couldn’t do that because I am nervous about the conditioning of my hand because of injury. So I will be in my peak performance this time around.
5) How was your experience in Season 1?
Season 1 was very amazing and this was the first experience in my life where I felt like a superstar. Now I feel like a professional athlete as everyone is noticing us.
6) Your team just missed the trophy by a slim margin, what do you think your team should do to improve in Season 2?
Our team will be in the best form in season 1. We will work on eliminating minor mistakes like early start, foul etc. We won’t go home this time around without the trophy and I am prepared very well. We have couple of months left for the second season but we are already working on strengthening our weakness.
