For Narsingh,it’s weight & watch

The one wrestler in the five-member team that goes under the radar is Narsingh Pancham Yadav,who will represent India in the 74kg weight category. But just two years back,the situation was very different. The wrestler from Jogeshwari had displaced a certain Ramesh Kumar,who had won a bronze at the 2009 World Championships,from the 74kg perch. At the 2010 Asian championships,he beat Iran’s Saeed Nemtollah Riahi for gold and then went on to bag the Commonwealth Games gold as well. The string of results were as stunning as they were unexpected from the then 22-year old.

The wrestler,for someone competing in a high weight category,is unsurprisingly big shouldered and well-muscled. But the slouch is unmistakable. During an outdoor training session of football,the rest of the team is seen briskly running about while Narsingh can be seen walking towards the opposition goal,ready for an opportunistic strike. And there lies the problem,at least as others see it. The body language only adds to the growing murmurs in and around the Indian wrestling team,that the 74-kg grappler isn’t doing enough to keep himself in shape.

At the start of the year,ahead of the first of the three Olympic qualifiers scheduled to be held in Astana,Narsingh made an unusual request — he wanted to jump a division and fight in the 84kg category. But the management refused it outright and as a result,Narsingh had to lose around 10 kilograms at the weigh-ins. A spent Narsingh crashed out in the first round.

At the next qualifier,in Taiyuan,China,the youngster crossed the first hurdle,only to lose in the second round. Right after that,his position as the numero uno in the 74kg category hung by a thread — Deepak from Satpal’s akhara was being trumped up as a possible replacement. Despite the pressure,the team officials persisted with Narsingh and in Helsinki,he finally came good,winning the gold and the Olympics ticket.

Despite that showing,Narsingh doesn’t appear to have convinced too many of his detractors. But staying off the limelight has some benefits too. “People will have expectations with both Sushil and Yogeshwar — they are world-class wrestlers. If you ask me,it is better this way. Nobody is bothering me and I’m quietly working on getting better,” he says.

“But you can’t say for sure who will a medal. It’s a competitive field of 20 and each of them wants to win. Kal kiski kismet chamkegi,koi nahi keh sakta (Nobody knows whose day it will be,tomorrow).”

Odd man out

His up-and-down performances of late may have something to do with the lack of enthusiasm about Narsingh’s prospects,but some of it also has to do with the fact that he is a withdrawn character. For someone who likes to keep to himself,getting along with the rest of the wrestlers was not the most natural thing to do.

After all,Narsingh belongs to the Maharashtra school of wrestling,while the others in the team,including the coaching staff,who are all from North India. His long-time coach Jagmal Singh says as much. “His only problem is that he doesn’t mingle with people after training. The Railways officers complain all the time that he doesn’t come and meet them. He doesn’t go to his father’s house,choosing to stay at the SAI Centre in Mumbai instead. Usko mel milap karna hoga to change all this talk of him being lazy,” Singh says.

But these are qualms,Narsingh will know,that people will harbour only when he is off the mat. If he does what he does best when the time comes in London,much of the chatter will stop. And that is the way the shy wrestler likes it.