India wins men's kabaddi gold at Asian Games

India’s men’s kabaddi team had one thing on their mind before the Asian Games final - winning gold. So much so that the players did not eat properly before their title clash against Iran. “Khali pet gold jita hai,” captain Pawan Sehrawat said after India defeated Iran 40-34 to retain their Asian Games men’s kabaddi title on Saturday.

India had prepared well for the final, but Pawan knew the result would only be decided on the mat. “I was very excited about the match. I was very excited about what was going to happen in the match in the evening. Even if we know that we are playing well, we have practised well. But until the result comes, it stays in the mind. Those 40 minutes were important,” Pawan told IANS. India went into half-time trailing 17-18 but produced a strong second-half performance to turn the match around. Arjun Deshwal and Devank Dalal led the attack, while Sumit and Jaideep played important roles in defence.

With 10 minutes left, India moved five points ahead after Arjun got past Iran captain Fazel Atrachali and helped India inflict an All-Out. Sumit then made an important tackle on Amirmohammad Zafar Danesh, while Rahul Sethpal also made a key defensive contribution late in the match. The win completed India's unbeaten campaign and gave them their ninth Asian Games gold medal in men's kabaddi. For Pawan, however, the wait for the result made the final even more emotional. “Everyone is emotional, so I get emotional at such moments. And it was that once the 40 minutes are over, we will eat and drink well. Not just one, but after that gold has come,” he said.

Pawan also revealed that the players were following India's position on the medal table during the Games. “We were seeing on the way that if our two golds are added, then where will we go? Till that time, as far as I could see, we were in sixth. And since then, we have not used the mobile properly. I don't know which number we will have in our medal tally,” he said.

Pawan credited his coach Randhir Sehrawat for playing a major role in his success and dedicated the gold medal to him. “I would like to dedicate it to my coach Randhir Sehrawat. Because it is because of him that this medal has come to me,” he said. He also urged the government to consider Randhir for the Dronacharya Award, pointing out that several Arjuna Award winners had trained under him.

Pawan, who was one of India’s flag-bearers at the opening ceremony alongside Manu Bhaker, also spoke about his experience in Japan. “Japan is very beautiful. For me, Japan has created history. I was a flag bearer. I was with such a good athlete, Manu Bhaker. For me, it is a miracle,” he said.