"Maybe he is in not in form himself" - Gujarat Giants' coach on Mohammadreza Shadloui being under pressure after loss against Bengaluru Bulls

Gujarat Giants' assistant coach Varinder Singh reflected on skipper Mohammadreza Shadloui's performance. The Bengaluru Bulls defeated them 28-24 on Monday, September 22. It was the fourth successive defeat for the Gujarat Giants.

Shadloui scored just one tackle point as his woes continued. The Iranian star has failed to live up to expectations so far. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Varinder Singh stated that Shadloui was not in form himself. He reckoned that captaincy pressure was not the reason for his poor display.

"About pressure, it is not like he has become captain for the first time. He has been the captain of his Iran team and even in national leagues and performs. I don't think there has been so much pressure on him that it affects decision-making. Yes at some places there has been a control issue. Maybe he is in not in form himself, and that is why those mistakes are happening. So this might be the reason," he said.

Shadloui was acquired by the Gujarat Giants for a massive ₹2.23 crore during the auction before the season. However, he has scored only nine tackle points from seven matches in Pro Kabaddi 2025 so far.

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Akash Shinde opens up on his brilliant performance against Gujarat Giants

Meanwhile, Bengaluru Bulls' raider Akash Shinde had a brilliant night against the Gujarat Giants. He made the most of the opportunity, playing a key role in their win.

Shinde scored seven points in the game, which included six raid points and a tackle point. He stated that coach BC Ramesh had trust in him and asked him to play with responsibility.

"The important thing is to have trust on your players. Today the coach gave me an opportunity after a lot of games and trusted me. Before the game started, he had told me that I have to play this game with full responsibility and the longer I stayed on the mat, it would be an advantage for us. So that was the strategy and it worked."

He has played only five out of the nine games so far and has not been a regular in the starting seven for the Bulls. After an impressive show against the Gujarat Giants, Shinde will be hopeful of starting in their next match against the UP Yoddhas.

Edited by Rishab Vm