India vs Iran kabaddi Asian Games final harder than Kargil posting, says head coach Edachery Bhaskaran
India’s success in kabaddi at the continental event has its pros and cons. It births stars overnight but it also maintains the status quo for systems that aren’t working. Will the Hangzhou Asian Games be different?
The final leg of the Asian Games saw a gold medal match the world will not forget. Two archrivals—India and Iran—sparred in a closely fought men’s Kabaddi final, where a disagreement over a point saw the ensuing referral stretch for over an hour, eventually forcing a temporary suspension of the match. The impasse saw the Indian coaching contingent and players, including captain Pawan Sehrawat, get into a war of words with the judging panel. The Asian and International Kabaddi Federation officials also got involved. In the end, the ruling went India’s way, allowing the men in blue to reclaim their place on top of the podium with a 33-29 win. The Iranians, wearing silver medals like albatrosses around their necks, stood silently a few centimetres below them.