Credit: Twitter
Continuing their winning streak and maintaining sheer dominance in the A sian Kabaddi Championship 2023, India defeated their toughest opponents Iran in the most anticipated clash, on day three of the tournament. With their win in the ‘virtual final’, India have secured the top spot in the standings with eight points. In their past fixtures, India defeated South Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Japan, whereas Iran dominated Chinese Taipei 52-28, Hong Kong 60-31, and South Korea 76-13 in the championship.
The third day of the intercontinental tournament saw Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh’s Iran slumping to Pawan Sehrawat’s India, in a game that started with both the teams going head-to-head in the first quarter. The Indian skipper stretched the team's lead to 17-7 by escaping past two Iranian defenders with four minutes left in the first half. Towards the end of the game, Arjun Deshwal’s two-point raid ensured victory for the team India, with that, the team continues its unbeaten run in the 2023 edition of the tournament.
By securing the top spot in the points table ahead of their game against Hong Kong, slated on June 30, India have secured their spot in the final summit of the tournament. The tournament has made its return after six years, and is being hosted in Busan, South Korea, where six countries are clashing against each other in a single-legged round-robin format as two top-placed teams will play the final to win the ultimate title.
The Asian Kabaddi Championship was first played in 1980, and India holds the record of winning every edition except that of 2003, which was eventually won by Iran.
