Player turned coach Rakesh Kumar is not very happy with the performance of the Pro Kabaddi League side Haryana Steelers in this year's edition of the tournament so far, where the side has just managed to win two out of the five games they played up till now.

The team started the campaign on winning note when they beat Rakesh's fellow Indian teammate and newly appointed Puneri Paltan's coach Ajay Kumar's side 34-24 in the first game of the season but then lose the momentum and suffer a hat-trick of defeats in the next three games.

Talking about what went wrong for the side, the former Indian all-rounder, who isn't very happy with the team's performance, said that the side has failed to replicate the practice form in the mat and poor defensive errors have cost them matches.

"I'm not very happy with the kind of performance we delivered so far. We have failed to perform according to the plan made during the practice sessions."

The coach particularly is not very happy with the team's defense and feels that the unsettled combination is the prime reason why the team suffered three back to back defeats.

"Our defense has not been able to set up properly because of which we suffered two defeats. But we are trying to work on it, as well as trying to improve the mistakes that we committed in the last few matches."

"We need to avoid repeating the same mistakes over and over again and the focus should be on playing according to the match situation and not take unnecessary risks by going for advanced tackles."

However, he refused to blame any particular player and said that it's the combined responsibility of the entire team to put up a match-winning performance.

The tournament is still in the initial stage and with a lot to be played for; the coach isn't much worried about the results and is hopeful that once the combination gets settled the team will get back into winnings ways and things will change.

Rakesh is also excited by the return of star raider Vikash Kandola, who he thinks will be the key component in the raiding unit and his presence in the line-up will also bolster defense confidence.

"Vikash is fit to play again and his return will boost the side. He will provide support to Naveen in the raiding and his presence will also give confidence to the defense, as his performance can eclipse small mistakes by the defenders."

Discussing his new role of coaching, Rakesh who previously has represented Patna Pirates, U Mumba and Telugu Titans in the league as a player says that it (coaching) is a lot more responsible job now that what it was before when he used to feature as a player.

"As a player, my job was to perform, rest and plan how to play in the upcoming matches. There was not much pressure on me then. But now, this is a more responsible job. I am supposed to dig performance from the established players as well as motivate and preserve youngsters at the same time."

"A lot of responsibilities have come up and I am trying to do justice as much as I can. It's a new start for me and I am learning every tincture bit of this new role," he signed off.