India beat Pakistan in Indoor Asian Games Kabaddi final

MACAU—Asian Champions India maintained their kabaddi supremacy by beating Pakistan 35-17 in the final of Macau Indoor Asian Games to clinch their second gold here on Saturday at the Luso Chinese School pavilion. The final was a repeat of the Doha Asian Games in which India won the gold defeating Pakistan with a heavy margin 11 months ago, and winning the Asian indoor medal has undoubtedly re-established their status as the Powerhouse of Kabbadi in Asia.
Pakistan which failed to put up a good show and bowed under pressure especially in the second half, had to be content with a silver medal.
The silver medal is the highest honour attained by the Pakistani contingent which exhibited poor performance in Chess as well as Snooker, while the two member athletic team improved the country’s image slightly with their bronze medal achievement won by Muhammad Sajjad.
Kabaddi Pakistan team appeared defensive in the ultimate showdown, which suggests the need to change the aging captain Muhammad Akram and a couple of other players, to lift the gloomy fortunes of the team.
Pakistan offered its best in the first half as India led 17-8 but the second half was full of misery for them as the Asian kabaddi powerhouse with awesome agility and prowess foiled Pakistani attempts to get a point, and with brilliant planning overpowered their rivals.
Pak captain Akram failed to motivate the team which looked jaded on occasions and could not stop the Indian assault. The team’s best effort in the match was seen when they narrowed the lead at 8-9 reviving some hopes for a comeback that did not happen, as their performance continued downhill with the Indian side’s fast paced attack approach.
Pakistan even fielded their injured raider Maqsood Ahmad who could not make an impact in the team as he was not in a position to deliver his best, having six stitches on the upper part of his eyebrow.
Those who led India to success were captain Pankaj Shirsat, Jasvir Singh, Naveem Kumar, Joginder Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Jasmer and Dinesh Kumar.
From Pakistan Nasir Ali, Wasim Sajjad, Naveel Akram, Wajid Ali and Sajjd Hussain tried their best to release the Indian pressure with attacking moves and won points .
“The defeat this way was unfortunate, and I was not expecting this performance from my team”, said coach Zubair Ahmad adding “The Indians dominated because our players could not rise to the occasion, and wasted another chance to win the gold “.
Secretary, Pakistan Kbaddi Federation, Muhammad Sarwar who was also upset on losing the gold said the team disappointed with its average performance, adding “I would say that we all, including the team management, are responsible for the setback”.
He said “The first half was fought in a decent manner by the Pakistan team, but it failed to make an impact in the next session, and I think it is the right time to infuse young blood to ensure a better position in future events”. —Agencies