Sparks flew after almost every move. There were arguments, finger-pointing, snarls and thigh-slapping celebrations. In no other kabaddi match, in no other tournament, and against no other opponent did a single point matter more.
For over a decade, Iran has been the undisputed challenger to a throne that India has virtually owned. Iran broke India’s myth of invincibility once, at the 2018 Asian Games.
They threatened to do it again on Saturday in Aichi. But India had learnt its lesson – they would not let it happen.
In the final of the men’s kabaddi event at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, India won 40-34.
This was the Indian contingent’s fourth gold medal at this edition of the Asiad, and the men’s kabaddi team’s ninth gold medal since the sport was added to the roster in 1990.
Both teams, as expected, reached the final without much hassle, brushing aside any and all opposition that came in their way. Against each other, knowing that every point had to be earned, neither team wanted to concede even an inch.
The opening exchanges remained feisty, decisions were disputed and the officials struggled to keep proceedings under control.
{{/usCountry}}The opening exchanges remained feisty, decisions were disputed and the officials struggled to keep proceedings under control.
{{/usCountry}}As the minutes passed, it was clear why this match was the one everyone in the kabaddi fraternity wanted to watch. In the stands there were players from the Nepal team watching, players from the Indian and Iranian women’s team – who had played in the women’s final hours earlier (India won that match 37-34) – cheering.
And for quite a while it looked like Iran was on the verge of pulling off another upset.
Iran, a country that roped in wrestlers and transformed them into powerful kabaddi players, defended with menace. Just as expected. India’s star-raiders, Arjun Deshwal, Ayan Lochab and Devank Dalal were stopped, and how. To add to that, Iran’s Alimohammad Zafardanesh was sent in to raid with India leading 13-10, and he returned with two touch points and an all out to give Iran a 14-13 lead.
Iran held on to that lead to go up 18-17 at halftime.
That’s when India started to do what Iran was doing better. For most of the tournament, India had been struggling with inconsistent defending. They found the perfect moment to fix those errors.
Staunch defending from the Indians gave them back the lead, and the raiders started to find their momentum as well with Iran under pressure.
The cracks started to show in the Iran defence with errors of judgement coming in and touch points being presented on a platter for Indian raiders as the match reached its latter stages.
For what had been a tight and gripping encounter for a majority of the match, India managed to turn the tide to stomp home to what, on paper, was a comfortable win.
In the last minute of play, with India leading 39-31, the Indian raiders took their time on the attack while Iran knew the writing was on the wall.
To a neutral, and there were many in the stands, this match was a perfect example of the thrill that can come from a tightly-contested kabaddi match. But once the dust settles, the Indian team will know they had to win it the hard way.