NEWS
From selling newspapers to make ends meet to enthralling everyone with his spectacular moves on the Pro Kabaddi League, Girish Ernak has truly come a long way. Toast of the Puneri Paltan team and the entire nation, Girish is a shining star of the kabaddi world.
His signature dash move, dedication to the game, and humility have made one of the most popular kabaddi players in India. And Girish is all set to climb the ladder of success.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Girish Ernak |
| Age | 29 |
| Sport Category | Kabaddi |
| Date of Birth | 22 Dec 1990 |
| Hometown | Kalyan, Maharashtra |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight | 84 kg |
| Spouse | Chetna Ernak |
| Teams Played for | Patna Pirates (Seasons 1,2), Bengal Warriors (Seasons 3,4), Puneri Paltan (Seasons 5,6,7) |
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Born and raised in a humble family from Kalyan, Maharashtra, a career in sports was never on the agenda for Girish. It was his physical education teacher, who first suggested that he try kabaddi. Soon, he started participating in inter-school kabaddi competitions. His talent was visible right from those days. He was quoted by FISTO,
“I got introduced to Kabaddi back in my school days. It was due to my sports teacher, Sunil Koli that I began playing the sport. He had suggested my name for one of the Inter-School Kabaddi Tournaments without my knowledge. I had no idea about the sport, but due to the immense faith that he showed in me, I took it up. Eventually, I was completely in awe of Kabaddi and decided to pursue it further.”
A breakthrough came for Girish as soon as he joined the Om Kabaddi Singh in Kalyan. Girish used to travel 5 km every day to reach the academy. There was lot of struggle initially, but Girish was determined. He participated in numerous taluka and district level tournaments throughout his school life.
Girish started his domestic career with the Maharashtra team. He was a member of the winning squad at the 65th Senior National 2017-18. The win was all the more memorable as Maharashtra won the title after 11 years. The team also came third in the 2018 Federation Cup.
Girish was also a part of the Indian team, which won the 2018 Kabaddi Masters Dubai. The tournament was truly an enthralling experience for the youngsters. He got an opportunity on to interact with various international players and learn the tricks of the trade then.
Girish began his PKL career with Patna Pirates in season 1 of the league.
Season 5 of the PKL was perhaps the most notable one for Girish as he scored 64 tackle points for Puneri Paltan team. He also claimed 5 High 5s that year.
For the fifth season of the league, Girish was announced as the captain of the Puneri Paltan franchise. The CEO of the team, Kailash Kandpal, was excited about the announcement and confident about Girish’s leadership skills.
“My goal is to lift the PKL trophy. I am ready to do whatever it takes to lift the title. I have been working and have made a few changes in my game,” he was quoted by Asian Age.
Girish is very thankful for the adoration and respect Pro Kabaddi League has brought him. Along with financial security, it was helped him earn mass support.
Over the years, Girish has established himself as one of the most left corner defenders in the Pro Kabaddi League. His signature move is the Dash. In this move, a defender sprints across the mat with ultimate force to get the opposition raider out of bounds. This move requires ultimate display of strength and a sudden burst of force.
| SEASONS | OVERALL | SEASON 7 | SEASON 6 | SEASON 5 | SEASON 4 | SEASON 3 | SEASON 2 | SEASON 1 |
|---|
| MATCHES PLAYED | 103 | 14 | 20 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL POINTS EARNED | 268 | 31 | 57 | 69 | 25 | 34 | 27 | 25 |
| MOST POINTS IN A MATCH | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| NOT OUT % | 92.53% | 0 | 87.5% | 88.88% | 100% | 94.11% | 100% | 83.33% |
| TOTAL RAIDS | 67 | – | 8 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUCCESSFUL RAIDS | 13.43 | – | 12.5 | 27.77 | – | 5.88 | – | 33.33 |
| NO OF SUPER RAIDS | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| SUPER 10S | 0 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| TOTAL RAID POINTS | 9 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 1 | – | 2 |
| AVERAGE RAID POINTS/MATCH | 0.08 | – | 0.05 | 0.23 | – | 0.09 | – | 0.16 |
| NO OF SUPER TACKLES | 14 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH 5S | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| TOTAL TACKLE POINTS | 257 | 29 | 56 | 64 | 25 | 33 | 27 | 23 |
| AVERAGE TACKLE/MATCH | 2.38 | 2 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 1.91 | 3 | 2 | 1.3 |
| TOTAL TACKLES | 555 | 72 | 113 | 111 | 58 | 65 | 66 | 70 |
| TACKLE STRIKE RATE | 46.3% | 40.27% | 49.55% | 57.65% | 43.1% | 50.76% | 40.9% | 32.85% |
Girish’s parents have been his pillars of support throughout his career. They firmly supported his decision to pursue a career in sports even though it wasn’t an easy decision considering their humble background. On 5 February 2018, Girish married Chetna.
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