How a timely phone call from Sushil Kumar cured Aman Sehrawat’s indecisive nature on the mat

Sehrawat, the 57 kg grappler, has stepped into the big shoes of Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya. He has emerged as the torchbearer for the nursery of wrestlers located at Model Town.

Wrestler Aman Sehrawat at New Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

Since he qualified for the Olympics, the 20-year-old is smiling more, says Dronacharya awardee coach Lalit Kumar. Sehrawat was frownful on his return from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in April. Back then, he, like the rest of the men’s contingent, missed an Olympic quota in the Asian Qualifier. “The aim was to make it to the Olympics, so I was restless after the competition in Bishkek,” Sehrawat said.

In the semifinals, Uzbeki Gulomjon Abdullaev had him pinned in the first period. He wasn’t downcast but needed a pep talk.

The call came from a been-there done-that wrestler. Sehrawat felt like the two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar had read his mind from afar. Though in jail on a murder charge, Sushil remains a revered figure among wrestlers. Hundreds of wrestlers like Sehrawat turned to the sport and joined the famous akhada when Sushil put Chhatrasal on the wrestling map.

Wrestler Aman Sehrawat with coach Lalit Kumar (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

“After the Asian Qualifiers, I was under a little pressure because I had returned without a quota and there were expectations from me. There were a few doubts in my mind. That is when I spoke to Sushil pehelwan ji. There were about three weeks left for the World Qualifiers and I was training here at Chhatrasal. He told me not to get too defensive and that my aim is to fight the full six minutes. He also said that I should not be in two minds. If you are forced to defend then defend but then wait for the first opportunity and then attack with full force. He told me not to be indecisive and most importantly to stick to being the attacking wrestler that I am,” Sehrawat said about the conversation with India’s most famous wrestler.

The phone call came at the right time from the right man.

In the crucial semifinals of the World Qualifiers, Sehrawat was a class apart against North Korea’s Chongsong Han. Sehrawat won 12-2, a high intensity leg lace roll bringing India its first and only men’s Paris Olympics quota. Sehrawat unlocking one of Han’s leg locks is still being spoken about in Chhatrasal as a sign of his ever-improving defence.

When Sushil was around at Chhatrasal, he had predicted that Sehrawat would one day win an Olympic medal. Speed on the mat and upper body strength combined with an instinct to attack makes Sehrawat a contender but he has an Achilles heel — defence.

He’s been an Asian and World Under-23 champion but the senior level is a different ball game.
“The biggest difference at the senior level is that defence has to be strong. In the junior level there is a tendency to attack more. Also at the junior level you can get away with minor mistakes but at the senior level, against experienced wrestlers, every mistake comes at a cost. I am working on my defence strategy in order to become a well-rounded wrestler. I wouldn’t say defence is a weakness but I can definitely improve in this area,” Sehrawat said.

Coach Lalit is careful that his ward does not overthink on the mat. “He must find the balance. From his junior days, he has been attack oriented and that is a strength. We have had training sessions focused on defence. But with the Olympics around the corner, it is best not to tinker too much. He has his strengths and that is what he should focus on for the Paris Olympics. He can counter-attack if he spots a chance, so that should work in his favour,” Lalit said.

Paris Olympic-bound Aman Sehrawat trains at the Chhatrasal Stadium . (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

At the Paris Olympics, the 21-year-old Indian will face a quality field in the 57 kg category, though the defending Olympic champion Russia’s Zaur Uguev will miss the Games after being deemed ineligible to compete by the International Olympic Association. However, Abdullaev, the wrestler who had pinned him at the Asian Qualifiers, will be in the field, as will three other world champions.
A painted inscription in Sehwarat’s tiny room in Chhatrasal reads, “if it was easy, everyone would do it.”

Sushil, Yogeshwar Dutt, Ravi Dahiya, all Chhatrasal alumni, are not easy acts to follow, Sehrawat knows. But he is the chosen one to take forward the legacy of the akhada at the Olympics.
Watching Sushil’s wrestling videos has been an inspiration for Sehrawat, yet it was when Dahiya won an Olympic silver three years ago that he believed he could follow in the footsteps of the senior in the 57 kg category.

At the national trials, the passing of the baton took place. Sehrawat beat Dahiya for the first time. Though Dahiya, five years older than Sehrawat, wasn’t at his best he had rallied late to give a scare. The final score 14-13, in favour of Sehrawat was a physiological boost for the younger man. At the Commonwealth Games trials in 2022, Dahiya had thrashed Sehrawat 10-0.

Sehrawat and Dahiya have rarely sparred together, though they train in the same hall. They have shared notes on strategy but since both were vying for the same spot, coach Lalit believes some cards were kept close to the chest.
“An Olympic medal is a big dream. Chhatrasal has produced legends in Indian wrestling and I am only trying to learn and follow what they have done. For now, I am just putting my head down and training hard. But if you are from Chhatrasal, an Olympic medal has become an expectation,” Sehrawat said.

Wresltler Aman Sehrawat trains at the Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

Chhatrasal has been his home before he became a teenager. Sehrawat started off as a mud wrestler in Birohar, a village in Jhajjar. When Sushil won his second Olympic medal at the London Games, Sehrawat convinced his father about wanting to enroll where India’s best wrestlers trained. He lost his parents within a year of each other when he was in his early teens. “Since then Chhatrasal has been like a home to him. We have seen him grow into a fine wrestler and now he is ready to take on the best in the world at the Olympics,” coach Lalit said.

When the evening warm-up drill would begin at Chhatrasal, Sehrawat would join the rest and is lost in the crowd — from juniors to seasoned pros everyone literally falls in line irrespective of their medal count or status. In a few days if Sehrawat’s fortunes shine in Paris, his poster will go up in the wrestling hall next to some of the greatest — a privilege restricted to a select few in this wrestling nursery.