Asian Games 2023 kabaddi: India beat Bangladesh 55-18 in opener

The Indian men’s kabaddi team began its quest for the title at the Asian Games 2023 with a clinical 55-18 win over Bangladesh at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday.

With the win, India jumped to the top of the Asian Games 2023 kabaddi Group A points table.

Seasoned raider Naveen Kumar scored a super raid early to set the tone for the Indian kabaddi team in the first half. Arjun Deshwal also cashed in with quick points as India inflicted an all-out on Bangladesh within five minutes to lead 11-1.

While the Indian defence proved too strong, the Bangladesh defence settled down after the first few minutes and made the Indian raiders work hard for points.

Bangladesh got the Indian captain Pawan Sehrawat and Naveen Kumar out with super tackles to stay in the game. However, the Bangladesh kabaddi team were unable to go on the offensive, lacking both successful raids and bonus points, allowing India’s lead to increase by 15 points at 24-9 at halftime.

India upped the ante in the second half of the kabaddi match. The seven-time Asian Games champions brought in Sachin Tanwar and Akash Shinde and inflicted three all outs in the second half to further increase the gap between the two sides.

For Bangladesh, though captain Mohammad Tuhin Tarafder and Sha Mohammed Shahan looked impressive, Sachin Tanwar produced a series of successful raids, including a super raid to take the scoreline to 33-10.

Bangladesh continued to milk points through an occasional tackle. However, it proved insufficient against a well-balanced Indian side that looked consistent throughout the match.

Next, the Indian kabaddi team will play Thailand in their second match on Wednesday and take on Chinese Taipei in their final group match on Thursday. The top two teams from the group will qualify for the semi-finals on Friday.

The men’s final in Kabaddi at the Asian Games 2023 will also be played on Friday.