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India regained the gold medal in the men's kabaddi event at the Asian Games by defeating Iran in a high-voltage final. It was the longest kabaddi match in recent history, where India emerged victorious by 33-29.
The match was like a typical battle between India and Iran for the first 38 minutes, where the two teams earned 28 points each. In the 39th minute, Indian captain Pawan Sehrawat went for a raid but stepped into the lobby without touching any defender.
Amirhossein Bastami of Iran stepped outside the line without any contact as well, which is why he was declared out. However, two more defenders of Iran ended up following Pawan into the lobby. As per rules of Pro Kabaddi, the two defenders would have been not out, but the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) ruled the two players out.
Players of India and Iran were unhappy as the referees kept on changing the decision. In the end, the IKF rules were followed, and India earned three points. India went on to win the match by 33-29.
Here's how fans reacted to the team's gold medal win after nine years:
India won their last gold medal in men's kabaddi at Asian Games 2014
As mentioned earlier, the Indian men's kabaddi team ended a nine-year wait by winning the gold medal at the Asian Games 2023. The last time the Indian men's kabaddi team won a gold medal at the Asian Games was back in the year 2014 in Incheon.
In 2018, India finished second in group stage and clashed against Iran in the semifinals, where the Iranian team emerged victorious in a low-scoring game. Iran went on to win the gold medal, whereas India settled for the bronze medal.
This time, India topped the points table in the group stage, crushed Pakistan in the semifinals and avenged the previous defeat against Iran with a four-point victory.
