South Asian Games 2019: 3 takeaways from the kabaddi event

#1 India claim gold in both categories, was there any challenge though?

Indian women's Kabaddi team

India lived up to their pre-favourites tag in the competition by clinching gold medals in both men's and women's categories. They remained unbeaten in the preliminary stage and went on to win their respective finals against Sri Lanka (men's) and Nepal (women's) by 51-18 and 50-13 margins respectively.

Led by Deepak Niwas Hooda, India boasted of a star-studded raiding line-up in Pawan Sehrawat, Naveen Kumar, and Pardeep Narwal. Young prodigies in Nitesh Kumar and Vishal Bhardwaj led the team on the defensive front. They managed to defeat Sri Lanka (49-16), Pakistan (49-22), Bangladesh (44-19), and Nepal (62-26) to top the points table.

It was India's 7th consecutive (10th overall) gold medal in men's Kabaddi.

On the other hand, Priyanka led the women's category with Deepika Joseph providing support to her as the vice-captain. They managed to outsmart Sri Lanka (53-14), Bangladesh (47-16), and Nepal (19-43) in the preliminary stage. Sonali Shingate and Nisha scored consistent raid points, while Ritu Negi and Harvinder Kaur fared well in the defence.

India looked under pressure at no stage in the event. The team managed to dominate the kabaddi event with their all-round efforts. The Indian team hardly faced a big challenge all through the competition, and the young squad put their best foot forward to pick up convincing wins.