The Indian men’s and women’s kabaddi teams were both crowned the champions of Asia after beating Pakistan and South Korea in Gorgan, Iran, on Sunday.
Star raider Ajay Thakur led from the front in the men’s final, as India beat their arch-rivals Pakistan 36-22. India led 25-10 at half-time, before bringing in Pro Kabaddi’s fifth season’s best raider Pardeep Narwal, along with Maninder Singh to aid Thakur.
India won the match by a comfortable 14-point margin. India had beaten Pakistan 44-18 in the group stages of the tournament, along with recording wins over Iraq (61-21), Japan (82-16) and Afghanistan (103-25).
The Indian women’s team beat South Korea 42-20 in their final. At half-time, India had a seven-point lead at 19-12 before breaking away in the second. India inflicted the match’s second all-out after half-time to all but kill the game off. India eventually won by a 22-point margin.