As Kajal Dhochak warmed up for her World Championships final in Astana, her training academy in Sonepat was scrambling to get a web stream of the bout on a big screen. With no television broadcast, coach Kuldeep Malik was close to giving up and resigning himself to watching the action on a phone. But one of Kajal’s training partners, and close friend, Divya Sharma, was determined to get the bout on the smart TV.“Arey, coach sahab, abhi ho jaayega. Bout mein 20 minute baaki hai (It’ll be done, coach sahab. We still have 20 minutes before the bout),” Divya shouted as Kuldeep sought an update.Fifteen minutes before Kajal’s bout, the stream finally appeared on the TV. The room erupted in cheers. “Get all the chairs and grab your places near the TV,” Divya instructed, as the young wrestlers scrambled for seats. Kuldeep and Kajal’s senior, former Asian Games medallist Sonam Malik, watched from a little distance.The moment Kajal stepped on the mat, the room in Sonepat began to resemble a wrestling arena. Kuldeep and his trainees crowded around the screen, their eyes following every movement, their attention fixed on the contest.Up against two-time European champion Anastasiya Alpyeyeva of Ukraine, Kajal conceded a point for a push-out and another for passivity to trail 0-2. Yet there was little panic among the audience back home. They knew their fellow trainee was capable of fighting her way back.Kuldeep, meanwhile, was analysing every movement and predicting Kajal’s next move. More often than not, she did exactly what he expected. The coach later admitted that his running commentary was less about tactical insight than keeping his own nerves in check. “I have been coaching for so many years and have been in the corner as a national coach. But every time a kid I have trained takes the mat, the nervous energy starts overflowing,” he said. Kajal Dhochak became the first ever Indian heavyweight wrestler to win a medal at the World Championships. (Photo: Wrestling Federation of India)Kajal drew level at 2-2 by the end of the first period, earning points through a push-out and a running-the-mat sequence. Alpyeyeva opened the second period with a double-leg attack, but Kajal responded with a takedown of her own to make it 4-4 and take the lead on criteria.Story continues below this adKuldeep was quick to spot a vulnerability, though. “She needs to bend a bit while standing against opponents. Her posture exposes her legs, and that’s what the Ukrainian took advantage of,” he said.ALSO READ | At 18, Kajal Dhochak puts Indian women’s heavyweight wrestling on the mapWith 20 seconds left, Alpyeyeva struck with another takedown and put Kajal in a dangerous position, stretching her lead to 8-4. Kuldeep was analysing the action even as the clock ticked down. “Once you concede two points in the ground position, the wrestler should stay strong in defence and not give away any more,” he said. Coach Kuldeep Malik at his Sports Academy in Sonipat, Haryana where Kajal Dhochak trains. (Express Photo by Pritish Raj)Thirteen seconds remained, and Kuldeep still believed Kajal would attack. She did, finding one last takedown to cut the deficit to 6-8. But the comeback came too late. The final whistle confirmed a narrow defeat for the 18-year-old. “It was not meant to be for our girl today,” Kuldeep said.Story continues below this adThe disappointment, however, did not linger for long. The laddoos brought to celebrate Kajal’s medal were still waiting, and Kuldeep began distributing them among the trainees. The colour of the medal mattered less than the achievement itself. “At the end of the day, it’s a World Championship medal,” he said.