Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 24 (ANI): Hyderabad Heroes are cruising in the Rugby Premier League (RPL) at the moment as they stand on top of the points table with six wins in seven games to their name and are the first team to qualify for the playoffs.

The key to their success is not just the impressive performances of marquee players like Joji Nasova, Kevin Wekesa or Terio Tamani, but also Indian players like Javed Hussain and Sukumar Hembrom who are equally contributing to the team's success. Another such player in their ranks is forward Sambit Pradhan, who is a regular player for the Heroes and has featured in all of their matches.

Talking about the mood and environment in his team's locker room, Sambit said as quoted by a press release from RPL, 'The atmosphere in our team is very good. Despite losing our last match (against Bengaluru Bravehearts), no one pointed out any mistakes or blamed anyone. Even our coach (DJ Forbes) held a burger party for us to lift our spirits as we discussed our plan for the matches ahead.'

Sambit also highlighted the impact of foreign players on Indians and what they could learn from the seasoned internationals.

He said, 'I never thought I could be playing with such big international rugby stars whom I have only seen on TV before this. They are very technically sound, they have nailed down the basics. But more than technical, they are very calm while playing and hence don't panic and make mistakes. We Indian players struggle with and to minimise our mistakes, we need to play with a level head.'

'In three to four years, with RPL, new Indian players will rise up through the ranks, improve their skills and shine on this platform. Like my teammate Javed Hussain who is doing really well and has gotten famous because of his strong performances, more players will come into the limelight,' he added.

The 27-year-old hails from Adaspur, a village in Cuttack district, Odisha and comes from a family of farmers. His journey in rugby started quite late when he was studying at Biju Pattnaik College in Bhubaneswar, where he spent most of his childhood.

About how his journey started, he shared, 'One of the older guys in college asked me to come and play rugby. I wasn't that interested, but he said I would get to play in a stadium, which enticed me because I had never been in one. That is how I started playing.'

'I then played the senior nationals for Odisha, and that is how my career started. In 2015, I went to the senior nationals in Bihar, where I got very serious about my game since I was the youngest in my team and wanted to prove myself,' the player added.

Sambit was regularly playing in tournaments for his state and clubs however, in 2019, he got injured and left the sport for three years.

'I broke my hand while playing a tournament in Amritsar and couldn't play for three years. I got it operated on at a government hospital and was scared if I will ever be able to play rugby again. The doctors assured me that I will be able to continue which gave me a lot of confidence,' he concluded.

Sambit worked hard on his recovery despite doing a part-time job at a school where he used to teach children various sports. After three years, in 2022, Sambit started playing again for the Bhubaneswar Rugby Club and has now made his way back to the elite level with the Rugby Premier League. (ANI)