#AsianGames2018: Indian women lose kabaddi gold for first-time in history
Iran hurt India's pride in Kabaddi again as it delivered a second straight knockout punch to the sport's most successful nation in the women's gold medal match of the Asian Games today. The two-time defending champions were shocked 24-27 in a thrilling final; the firm favorites settled for silver. India's raiders disappointed as Iran came from behind to jolt them in the second half.
The performance of Indian Players
Payel and Sonali were effective with their raids while the defenders also handled the tackles well as the Indians raced to a 7-3 lead. Randeep Kaur went for a raid after Iran's two-point raid but she was unsuccessful as Iran gradually reduced the deficit to 6-7. Randeep though made amends in the next attempt with a two-point raid, pushing India ahead 13-8.
The Dangerous Iranian player
The most dangerous looking Iranian player was Azadeh Saidisiahbidi but she was forced out after a successful tackle.
Iranian players rising high
Azadeh touched out Ritu and Manpreet and captain Payel was caught by the Iranian defenders as India led 13-11 at the of the first-half. Iran scored six points to race to a 17-13 lead with an all out. With just two minutes to go, Sakshi Kumari earned two points with a successful raid to make it 24-25 but Iranians held their nerves to prevail.
