Hangzhou Asian Games kabaddi | Indian men and women regain gold

Indian men and women kabaddi team pose after winning the gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games, on October 7, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

An hour for two points and a minute — that sums up the men’s kabaddi final between India and Iran at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on October 7 that started on a tense note, built up to a nail-biting climax and then, out of nowhere, descended into a chaotic, confusing farce that left both teams and their managements furious and amazed and critical of the refereeing before it was finally settled 33-29 in India’s favour.

India regained both the golds it lost five years ago to be crowned men’s and women’s champions but the tension around the women’s final in the morning that India won by a single point 26-25 against Chinese Taipei was nothing compared to what came in the evening. On a golden day for Indian sports that saw the country cross the 100-medal milestone and made history with a first-ever badminton gold, it was the bizarre drama at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre that became the talking point.

The scores were level at 28-28 when India captain Pawan Sehrawat stepped up for a raid. He tried to tag an Iranian defender but was unable to do so and instead stepped out in the lobby with the Iranians in pursuit. One of the Iranian players lost his balance and stepped out of bounds at the back. And that’s when everything went downhill and into the chasm of confusion around the rules as both teams read them.

The rules as mentioned by the international federation say that unless a raider has touched a defender initiating a struggle, no defender can enter the lobby in pursuit. And if anyone does that or holds the raider in that area, then all the defenders in lobby with a touch on the raider will be declared out. But in the updated Pro Kabaddi League rules, if a raider steps out into the lobby without a touch, the raid immediately ends and only the raider is out, irrespective of who steps out after him. The referee announced a point each to both teams, as per the new PKL rules, something India challenged.

The referral was held up and the decision was changed to 4-1 in India’s favour. And then something happened that has as many versions as people. While Iran coach Gholamreza Mazandarani felt India pressed on despite a jury decision to hold up the game, India claimed the decision was changed back to 1-1 on a signal from the stands. With the entire top brass of International and Asian Kabaddi Federations in attendance – headed by India’s Vinod Kumar Tiwari and Iran’s Abbas Khajeh Avarseji respectively – it seemed to become a power struggle on the sidelines more than a contest on it.

The jury then changed the decision back to 1-1, India refused to accept it and the players sat in protest, further consultations led to the decision becoming 3-1 and another protest, this time by Iran and finally a suspension of the match as officials tried to work out a solution. They finally went in for discussion after making a public mockery for more than an hour and returned, stuck to the international rules and awarded 3-1 in India’s favour to make it 31-29. By then, it was just a formality as Iran had been reduced to two men and just 60 seconds left, India wrapping it up to take gold.

There was no indication of a usually 45-minute long kabaddi match stretching for almost two hours when the teams took to the mat. Tentative and cautious, probing the opposition before going for the big points, Iran took a 4-2 lead early on before Vishal Bhardwaj managed to get his leg over the line to make it 4-4. Amirmohammed Zafar and Nabibaksh kept nipping away bonus points to stay ahead while Mohammedreza Shadlou on the right corner and captain Fazel Atrachali on the left kept a lid on Indian raiders’ bonus attempts.

But with the difference never more than three points at any point, India stayed close and took lead for the first time with less than three minutes in the first half, reeling off five straight points to go 14-12 up and then get an all-out to go into the break 17-13 ahead. The second half was more of the same, neither team relenting in either pace or intensity. Shadlou, primarily a defender, returned with two points at 21-16 and then again at 24-22, leaving Arjun Deshwal the lone man standing and duly tackling him for an all-out and 25-25. It stayed level till 28-28 with 90 seconds to go when Pawan stepped up. And then the clock remained stuck.

While all this went on, at the Binjiang Gymnasium 30km away, a pair in their twenties was writing their own story into the history books, ending a 61-year old wait for India’s first badminton gold at the Asian Games but the momentous occasion – finishing on top of the podium in a sport China considers its own, much like India does with kabaddi – was a comparatively sedate and straight-forward affair.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty knew they had achieved something special even before they entered the court and 57 minutes later, they had taken another step to being deservedly called the best India pair ever. Assured of being World No. 1s in men’s doubles after their semifinal win, the Indians let out a roar, Chirag made his trademark jump onto Satwik and danced around after a 21-18, 21-16 win against the Korean pair of Solgyu Choi and Wonho Kim.

Attacking with abandon with a series of smashes to take control, the Indians looked comfortable in front of packed stands even while trailing. Like the kabaddi team, the difference was never more than a couple of points and there was no cause for worry. The Koreans sped to 8-4 that soon became 18-15 before the Indians switched gears to take six straight points and take the first game.

The second game was similar as the Indians seized control from the middle, relying mostly on flat smashes and the occasional drops. A slow court and no drift helped, as did coaches Mathias Boe and Pullela Gopichand from the sidelines. At 13-12 the Indians reeled off four straight points and even though the Koreans fought back, they only delayed the inevitable that finally came when Kim returned long and the Indians knew it was over.

In the morning, the women’s team became the proud herald of India’s 100th medal in the edition and bringing that up with a gold made it special as the girls shouted ‘Veer bhogya swarna padak’, their war-cry, team motto and motivational slogan rolled into one.

The women started well and led 14-9 at the end of the first period with a super raid for both sides but Chinese Taipei, the only team to hold India to a draw in the opening match of the competition, fought back in the second refusing to go down without a fight, scoring 16 points to India’s 12 including a super tackle and effecting an all out. But the eight bonus points India won proved to be the difference.