Asian Kabaddi Championships 2017: 5 biggest talking points from India's title victory

India were crowned champions of Asia as they won the Asian Kabaddi Championships 2017 after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final on Sunday. The competition, which was being held in Gorgan, Iran, saw India run out comfortable winners in the end as they won their respective matches with ease and hardly broke sweat over the course of the tournament.

In the group stages, the Indian team recorded routine victories over Iraq, Japan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the semifinals, they comfortably defeated South Korea, the team they had lost to in the World Cup last year, before getting the better of Pakistan once again in the final.

Here are the biggest takeaways from India's Asian Championships win:

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#1 Ajay Thakur leads from the front

Ajay Thakur was excellent throughout the tournament

India travelled to Iran without Anup Kumar, who was not included in the list of probables for the Championships, and in his place, it was veteran raider Ajay Thakur who led the side.

The Tamil Thalaivas skipper justified his selection as captain as he put in a fantastic performance, leading from the front and scoring Super 10s in crucial matches. He took over the primary raiding duties for his side and was most often than not effective in his raid attempts.

#2 No Rahul Chaudhari or Rohit Kumar in crucial games

Rohit Kumar (left) and Rahul Chaudhari (right) were benched for India's crucial games

India's last three games in the competition -- two against Pakistan and the semifinal against Korea, featured three raiders in the lineup on most occasions in the form of Ajay Thakur, Maninder Singh and Pardeep Narwal, all three of whom were performed excellently.

However, many fans were left disappointed as star raiders Rohit Kumar and Rahul Chaudhari, both Pro Kabaddi megastars, did not get playing time on the mat in the big games.

The two had fine individual showings in the fifth edition of the PKL and one certainly expected them to take to the match in important encounters, given their experience and skill.

#3 Fans miss out on India vs Iran matchup

India and Iran faced off in the final of the World Cup last year

As soon as the draw for the Asian Championships was announced, the match every fan looked forward to the most was the clash between India and Iran. It would have been a fascinating battle, with Iran being the closest to India's level at the world stage and running them close in the World Cup final last year as well.

The likes of Fazel Atrachali, Abozar Mighani, Meraj Sheykh, Abolfazl Maghsoudloo and Farhad Milaghardan -- all shined for their teams in PKL 5 and playing in front of their home fans, Iran were expected to give India a real run for their money.

After India sealed their berth in the final, the Iranians were upset by Pakistan in the second semifinal in a last-minute thriller, which deprived kabaddi fans of witnessing the two biggest sides in the sport go head-to-head.

#4 India's right corner conundrum

Is Mohit Chhillar's (R) spot on the right corner in trouble?

With Surender Nada an undisputed starter for India on the left corner, the question of who should be his partner-in-crime on the right is a difficult choice. His partnership with Mohit Chhillar is certainly an iconic one but in the two crucial encounters against Pakistan, it was Sandeep Narwal who was given the nod.

Chhillar wasn't at his best in PKL 5 but given his almost telepathic understanding with Nada, he was expected to start for India. But Narwal is another world-class right corner and can also help out in the raiding department, which is why he was drafted in for the final, which left Chhilllar on the bench. The Indian coach was certainly spoilt for choice in this regard but in the end, playing Narwal in place of Chhillar proved to be a right call.

#5 Can anyone come close to matching India?

The Indian team hardly had to break sweat even once

India's dominant run in the competition certainly raises the question if anyone can come close to challenging them in the near future, such was the manner of the victories. Korea, who upset India at the 2016 World Cup, were absolutely no match for India in the semifinal, which ended 45-29.

Pakistan, who defeated the might Iran in the semis, played two matches against their arch-rivals but not even once did they come close to troubling the Indian side.

The Asian Championships do highlight the gulf in class that still exists between India and the rest of the world and no team in all probability will come close to matching them anytime soon.