Asian Games 2018, Men's Kabaddi: India vs Thailand - 5 Talking Points

India rebounded from their loss to Korea, to beat Thailand 49-30 in their fourth Group A game at the 2018 Asian Games. The win was their third in the competition, their lone loss coming against the Koreans in their previous game. With the win, India sealed their semi-final spot.

India were more methodical rather than explosive as they kept putting up points, opening up a comfortable lead early. They led by nine at the half and eventually won by 19 points, but the margin of victory doesn't quite encapsulate the story of the match.

The Thais came back strong in the second half and posed some problems for the Indians who had to be alert to avert any unexpected setbacks. Rahul Chaudhari was the best raider on show for India and had a huge role to play in extending the lead in the second half.

The defence was good in fits and spurts and provided enough openings for the Thai raiders to take advantage of.

India are currently top of the group, but Korea have two more games to play while India have finished their quota.

Here are the main talking points from the game:

#1 Rishank comes in for Monu

After Monday's loss to Korea, fans and analysts alike waited to see if India would make changes to their starting line-up.

Indeed, there was one. Rishank Devadiga came in for Monu Goyat after the latter had struggled to really get going in India's first few games. Rishank provided the Indians with a good start along with Pardeep Narwal.

He picked up a point in each of his first three raids, grabbing a Bonus Point and two subsequent touch points. He was taken down for the first time in his fourth raid attempt, but by then India had already inflicted an All Out and were up 15-4 on the scoreboard.

Monu Goyat didn't feature in this match until just three minutes to go for the final whistle. After being used extensively in the first few games, it looked like the coaching setup was willing to try out alternatives and with Rishank's good showing today, competition for that starting raiding role should ensue as it is very much up for grabs.

#2 Ajay Thakur withdrawn early

Ajay Thakur was average on the night. (Photo: OCA)

Speaking of starting spots and raiders, it was another quiet night for India's captain Ajay Thakur.

Continuing what has been a string of uninspiring performances thus far at these Games, Ajay was taken off by the coaches just over eight minutes into the contest. And he did not return.

Ajay went in for the opening raid of the match and his lackadaisical approach saw him quickly snapped up by the Thai defence. He put in just one other raid which happened to be an empty raid.

Guess the coaches had seen enough and opted to hook the captain off the mat.

#3 Rahul Chaudhari the standout player

Rahul Chaudhari's introduction was the turning point. (File Photo)

The substitution proved to be a good one as the man who replaced Ajay Thakur was the star of the show for India. Rahul Chaudhari was that man and he provided the team with some much-needed impetus.

He started slowly but picked up steam in the second half. India led 21-12 at half-time; that lead quickly ballooned however in the early parts of the second as Rahul went on a tear. He was aggressive, kept the defenders on their toes and his ability to attack both corners fetched him rich rewards.

At 26-15, Rahul's successful raid reduced Thailand to just three men and after a successful tackle by the Indian defence, he came in for the next raid with only two men left. He got both of them out and inflicted the second All Out of the game. 31-15 to India.

He was in his element now and produced a Super Raid which consequently led to another All Out for India and in the span of a few minutes, India led 41-18, up by 23 points.

He was, by far, the best player on show today.

#4 Thailand hit back strong in the second half and a controversial call

Despite the big lead, India looked shaky in the second half. (Photo: OCA)

If you thought India were going to run away with it after that third All Out, think again. It was the Thais rather who played with more gusto.

A Super Raid from the Thais saw India reduced to four men and in the very next raid, some schoolboy defending from the Indians saw them get All Out soon after that.

41-22 to India now, but the momentum had shifted towards Thailand. And a different call on a Thailand raid could very well have changed the complexion of this match.

The Thai raider had gotten three touches and had managed to get the tip of his foot across the line, but the officials deemed it a successful tackle and gave the point to India instead.

Had it been correctly given to the Thais, it would have been another Super Raid for the Thais and the lead would have dwindled to under 15 points with a chance for another All Out.

It was a huge let-off for the Indians.

#5 Even in victory, issues persist for India

India's win was not as convincing as they expected it to be. (Photo: OCA)

India may have very well won this game. The scoreline will show you that the winning margin was 19 points.

But in reality, this match wasn't that easy of an outing for the Indians. Their performance can be described as sketchy at best.

The defence which has shown signs of weakness throughout once again was prone to silly errors. Girish Ernak made some very good tackles but was also guilty of being a little too impatient and overambitious at times. Likewise, with Sandeep Narwal and in general the defensive unit seemed to lack some coherence.

Rahul Chaudhari was very good today, but the other raiders were decent without being great. Pardeep picked up a lot of points, but in singles. There were no multi-point raids from him tonight. And what will be a point of concern is how often the raiders are running into the opposition defence's open arms consistently. The captain, Ajay Thakur is also yet to find his form.

India have to now wait to see who they get in the semis. In all likelihood, it will be Iran who are the strongest team in the competition and perhaps the greatest threat. Iran also boast perhaps the meanest defence and the raiders need to cut out some of the loose ends from their game if they are to be ready. The defence meanwhile needs much work.