"Why there is no player from Uttar Pradesh in India's Asian Games Squad" reveals Rahul Chaudhari in an Exclusive interview with Kabaddi Adda

Rahul Chaudhari, ex-India Kabaddi player, was born in the year 1993 and at the age of 13 in 2006, he had his first love – Kabaddi. He started his career as a defender and wanted to do play for India in the same role but destiny had something else in store for him as he became a very successful and one of the best raiders in Indian Kabaddi history.

He was the first Indian raider to reach the milestone of 500, 700, and 800 raid points in the Pro Kabaddi League. He is also a South Asian Kabaddi Gold medallist with the Indian team. He has been facing some controversies in the Kabaddi set up for the past few months and he described everything in detail in an exclusive interview with our CEO, Mr. Vaibhav Jaiswal. Below listed are some insights from the interview.

Q. What has your journey been in being the first Kabaddi player ever to reach 1 million followers on Instagram and being an inspiration for the younger Kabaddi players to come?
Ans. All this has been a blessing of the Pro Kabaddi League in my life. The fans and people have given me so much love and support which I am forever grateful for. They have supported me through thick and thin in my career.

Q. What do you make of the squad selection of the Indian team for the upcoming Asian Kabaddi Championship 2023?
Ans. The process for selecting the India squad for an event is very simple – players who perform in the national championships get selected for camp and players who perform well in the camp and trials are selected for the team. But this time, I am unhappy with the selection because some of the players have been selected in the team without even playing the national championship and this is unfair to other players and the rules of the sport as well.
For example, this year the Uttar Pradesh team won gold at the national championships and not even a single player from that team was selected for the Indian team. My question to the authorities is that the players of the team that won after beating all the other teams have not been selected and the defeated players are in the Indian team. The selection this time has been on the basis of own choices of selectors and not following the criteria.

Q. What other players do you think apart from you should have been in the Indian team?
Ans. Players like Sahul, Harender, and Ashu should have been on the team that played really well in the championships this time. These players should have been a part of the Indian camp at least, but it has not happened. Despite winning the gold medal, these players are not even in the top 40.

Q. In the present team, most of the players are from which part of the country?
Ans. In the current team, as you can see, only 3–4 players are good and have the capability, but the rest of the 7-8 players are in the team for no reason. Players like Bharat and Ankush Rathee, who were brilliant in the Pro Kabaddi season, have also not been selected.

Q. Have you expressed your concern regarding this issue to anyone?
Ans. With the medium of Kabaddi Adda, I would like to express my disappointment over the authorities and plead in front of everyone to take action against them for doing this injustice to the players.
Players like Narender Kandola, Bharat, and Ankush Rathee should be given a chance to prove their mettle in front of everyone. The correct procedure for selecting the Indian team should be followed without any injustice or discrimination.

Q. Before summarising, what is your message to the government and concerned authorities in this regard?
Ans. I request all the Kabaddi fans and followers to respect the truth and criticise the lie. If I am saying anything wrong or lying, please tell me in the comments; otherwise, share this interview for a better reach and to let the players have justice.
I have also requested Mr. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and he has promised that he will look into the matter and do whatever is required for the welfare of the nation as well as kabaddi.