Defending champions India will contest both kabaddi semi-finals at the Asian Games after their men’s and women’s teams came through the group stage unbeaten at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium.
Men: four from four
The men completed their Group A campaign with a 37-21 win over Chinese Taipei on Thursday, leading 23-11 at half-time. India collected 28 points from raids, three bonus points and six points from all-outs. It followed wins over Japan (49-24), the Republic of Korea (63-31) and Bangladesh (48-25).
Women: a comeback against Iran
Pushpa Rana’s side opened with a 42-21 win over Bangladesh, then came from behind to beat Iran 37-23. India trailed 9-11 early on before Pooja’s super raids swung the match. They led 19-15 at the break, and Bhavna Devi’s tackling helped them pull clear in the second half.
What’s next
The semi-finals are on 25 September. There is no bronze-medal match, so every semi-finalist is guaranteed a medal. Both gold-medal matches are on 26 September.