Asian Games 2018: 5 things that went wrong for the Indian Kabaddi team in the semifinal against Iran

The 2018 edition of the Asian Games witnessed one of the biggest upsets as the Indian men's kabaddi team crashed out of the tournament by a mighty Iranian setup which won 27-18, led by skipper Fazel Athrachali who was himself responsible for a majority of the damage inflicted on the defending champions

Ahead of both the teams stepping onto the mat, the match was billed as the 'clash of the tournament' with both the squads boasting of some of the biggest names in the kabaddi circuit. Not only this, both India and Iran came into the contest with convincing wins from their previous encounters.

The only difference was the fact that India was given a shock as they lost to South Korea in the group stages, while Iran blazed through the group stages to assert their dominance in the competition.

The fire in the Iranian setup was clearly on display as they managed to bring down a mighty Indian setup through a dominating performance, especially on the defensive front.

The encounter started on a rather feeble note as both teams went in with a cautious approach. However, the Men in Blue allowed the Iranians to get back from a six-point deficit to level scores at 9-9, seconds before the break. Post the break though, it was all one-way traffic.

The Iranian defenders made life a living hell for the Indian raiders, who had themselves to blame as their opponents pulled off as many as five 'super tackles' in the game, highlighting their dominance.

The two teams dealt a blow for blow, swore on the mat in unison but at the end of it, the Iranians were seen pulling off some groovy steps as they celebrated their entry into the finals while the Men in Blue, dejected and depressed at the loss somehow managed to drag themselves off the court.

Here are five reasons that went wrong for the Indians.

#5 Raiders taking a holiday from duty

At the beginning of the game, India raced away to a six-point lead but that was all that could be underlined as the Indian highlight in the game. The Raiders switched off and gifted four easy points to the Iranian defence, in under four minutes all through super tackles.

Rishank Devadiga was the only highlight in the raiding department, picking up two points in the beginning and in the end before he was also thrown to the wolves, disguised in the form of the Iranian defenders.

#4 Inability to effect an all-out on Iran

Was the Indian team inexperienced to pull off an all-out?

While much of the focus will have to undoubtedly fall on Iran's defensive prowess, one must not forget what a super tackle means. A super tackle is only effective when there are three or fewer defenders on the mat.

Iran did affect five super tackles on India, which means that they were three or fewer defenders on the mat on all those five occasions.

Given India's depth in the raiding department, the Men in Blue should have backed themselves to inflict the all-out on at least two or three of those occasions.

Instead, the Iranians pounced on the Indians and the chance to inflict the all-out went begging and with that, the match as well.

#3 The leverage of 'match pressure'

A lot of hopes were pinned on the Kabaddi team to bring back a gold medal

The Indians came into the tournament as favourites to win, and although teams like Iran and Pakistan were set to pose a stiff challenge, the Indians were still given the upper hand, considering the depth in the squad.

In the group stages, apart from the one-off match against Korea, the Men in Blue were on top of their game and ran through the opponents to stake a spot in the semi-finals.

As the schedule for the semi-finals was drawn, the fact that India was to take on Iran was a huge proposition to consider, given Iran's strength.

Yet, the Indian team was stronger on paper and hence the added pressure to perform better and make its way to the finals.

Unfortunately for the Indians, that pressure revealed itself as a huge obstacle on the whole team, which the Ajay Thakur-led side could not demolish and succumbed in the end.

#2 Questionable team selection and the spate of controversies - A double blow?

The likes of Surender Nada (R) and Surjeet Singh were left out

The men's team, although boasting of a wide array of superstars was hit with a host of controversies as the selector's decision to drop the experienced duo of Surjeet and Surender Nada was put under the scanner.

However, right throughout the tournament, Girish Maruti Ernak established himself as one of the best-left corner defenders in the tournament while Mohit Chhilar played second fiddle to him from the right corner.

However, the question remained - Why pick Gangadhari Mallesh and Raju Lal Chaudhary, when you are not going to give them game time and they did not have enough experience at the national level?

Not only was the team selection desiring more, the IOA's decision to hold a trial for the players post the Asian Games would have planted a seed of doubt in the players' mind, questioning their own skill.

All this would have ultimately led each individual wanting to make an impression, which could have led to the need to overcommit and hence make the smallest of mistakes which cost the team the match and with that, a chance to win the eighth gold medal.

#1 Never-say-never attitude of the Iranians

The Iranian defence is regarded as one of the best in the world, and they showed why.

In the world of sports, it is of paramount importance that a team does not lose the attitude to push for a win. That is exactly the motto which Iran played under in the semifinals, keeping a positive attitude even in the direst of situations.

The Iranians were pushed to a situation where they had three or fewer defenders on the mat on five occasions and in each of these situations, came up on top to inflict a 'super tackle' and avoid falling to an all-out.

One of the highlights was when Fazel Athrachali combined with Mohammad Maghsoudlou to pull Indian skipper Ajay Thakur into their own court with all their effort and as the Indian skipper bled profusely owing to the impact, celebrated the umpire's decision to award them two points for the super tackle.

All throughout the match, the Iranians were on top and did not let the Indian raiders pick points easily. Even the Iranian raiders, who swore repeatedly on the mat for just a single point did not give the mighty Indian defenders an easy time.

Girish Ernak was good and so was Mohit Chhillar. The Raiders did pick points but not anywhere close to enough to overcome the Iranians. The Iranians were the best team on the day and the scoreline of 27-14 does indeed heighten their achievement.