“My brother plays better kabaddi than me.” Most refused to read much into Siddharth Desai’s words last season when he was tearing defences apart at will. It was perceived that he was only saying it out of respect and affection for his elder brother, Suraj Desai.
However, many would have recalled those words on Wednesday when Suraj snatched the record for most points scored on Pro Kabaddi debut from Siddharth. Playing for the Telugu Titans alongside his brother, Suraj amassed 18 points to leave a strong Dabang Delhi defence reeling. He went past his brother’s tally of 15 points he had scored on his Pro Kabaddi bow with U Mumba last year. Siddharth’s loss was Suraj’s gain, but for the Desais, the record stayed at home. As the cliché in sport goes, who writes these scripts?
In the kabaddi world outside Pro Kabaddi, however, this wouldn’t be a big surprise. Suraj Desai is a more seasoned campaigner of the two. He has been part of three Indian national team camps and has played five national championships for Services – one of the strongest team in the competition. Siddharth, on the other hand, has never been called up for the national side and has only participated in one national championship so far.
However, despite Suraj’s seniority, it was Siddharth who made his Pro Kabaddi debut before in season six. Suraj who was part of Dabang Delhi’s squad in season five wasn’t able to play a single minute due to injury.
He finally returned to the fold this season. As fate would have it, it was to be with Telugu Titans, the same team as brother Siddharth.
“It was our dream to play for the same Pro Kabaddi team since the league launched. Finally, we could live it,” Suraj told Scroll.in
And what a dream it was! Although the result didn’t go the Telugu Titans’ way, Suraj and Siddharth gave the Titans plenty of reasons to be hopeful in the future. Their understanding helped the team put out a much better raiding performance. The burden on Siddharth was suddenly halved.
“We had decided before the game. I’ll go for the first raid. If I get out, you can revive me,” Suraj said after the game.
For an under-pressure Siddharth, Suraj taking the lead was a welcome change. Although he did not play to the best of his abilities, Siddharth showed glimpses of it on Wednesday, scoring eight points on the night. Even in defeat, the Desai brothers provided plenty of encouraging signs. For them, this partnership is the beginning of the culmination of a great journey that began in the same households but took contrasting paths.
The making of Siddharth and Suraj Desai
Based in Hundalewadi, a kabaddi-crazy village in Chandvad taluka of Satara district of Maharashtra, Siddharth and Suraj grew up playing the sport and watching their father compete in local kabaddi tournaments. Suraj was the better player among the two brothers, while Siddharth excelled in academics.
Suraj went onto play for many local clubs like Shahu and Sahyadri and was picked in the army thanks to his kabaddi. Siddharth meanwhile attained bachelor of physics degree with a first-class before acquiring a second bachelor degree in physical education. Although, he too enrolled in these courses through the sports quota, his focus was academics.
It was only after graduation that Siddharth turned his attention towards kabaddi on the suggestion of his brother. “Initially, Siddharth wasn’t great in kabaddi, but I knew he had great potential. He was good in academics. So, I decided to let him complete his graduation. Once he did that, I enrolled him into a kabaddi club in Pune,” Suraj revealed.
The move to club Satej Baner in Pune changed the fortunes of Siddharth as a player. Under former Services coach Appasaheb Dalvi, who had also trained Suraj, Siddharth went from strength to strength.
Back in Hundalewadi, the Desai house turns into a mini stadium during Pro Kabaddi. “All the people in our village come to our house to watch the matches. They celebrate after every point I score. They sometimes even fall on each other while celebrating. They burst crackers, it’s a crazy atmosphere there,” Siddharth tells Scroll.in.
With Suraj and Siddharth now raiding in tandem for the same team, their hometown is set for a ride like never before.