(Image source from: StarofMysore)

Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has appealed to his fans and supporters to come in big numbers to Madison Square Garden on May 6 when he will take on two-time United States national champion Yianni Diakomahlis in the ‘Grapple at the Garden’ Beat the Streets event.

Tweeting from his official account, Bajrang wrote, “I want to request all Indians and wrestling lovers in New York to come to Madison Square Garden on May 6 to encourage me. I am the first Indian to be invited by the American Wrestling Association to fight at Madison Square Garden.”

मैं न्यूयॉर्क में बसे सभी भारतवासियों और कुश्ती प्रेमियों से अनुरोध करता हूँ कि वो 6 मई की शाम को "मेडिसन स्क्वेयर गार्डन" में आकर मेरा हौसला बढ़ाए।
मैं पहला भारतवासी हुं जिसे अमेरिकी कुश्ती संघ ने मैडिसन स्क्वेयर गार्डन मे लडने के लिए आमंत्रित किया है।

जय हिंद ,जय भारत pic.twitter.com/kbO0OjgmpU

— Bajrang Punia (@BajrangPunia) April 30, 2019

The 25-year old Bajrang is the first Indian to be invited by the American Wrestling Association to fight at Madison Square Garden. “If you see it from a player’s perspective then it is quite an experience fighting at Madison Square Garden. It’s great exposure. But there is happiness and there is fear,” Bajrang said in an interview to AFP.

“Happiness because I am the first Indian to be invited there. Fear because of my country’s expectations whether I will be able to meet up with it or not,” added Bajrang, who hails from Jhajjar district of the north Indian state of Haryana.

Bajrang has eight gold medals from his previous nine international tournaments, including last year’s Commonwealth and Asian Games. He won gold at the recently concluded Asian Wrestling Championships and nominated for Khel Ratna by the Indian wrestling federation.

-Sangam Sowmya