An hour for two points and a minute – that sums up the men’s kabaddi final between India and Iran at the Asian Games here on Saturday that started on a tense note, built up to a nail-biting climax and then, out of nowhere, descended into a chaotic, confusing farce that left both teams and their managements furious and amazed and critical of the refereeing before it was finally settled 33-29 in India’s favour.
India regained both the golds it lost five years ago to be crowned men’s and women’s champions but the tension around the women’s final in the morning that India won by a single point 26-25 against Chinese Taipei was nothing compared to what came in the evening. On a golden day for Indian sports that saw the country cross the 100-medal milestone and made history with a first-ever badminton gold, it was the bizarre drama at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre that became the talking point.
The scores were level at 28-28 when India captain Pawan Sehrawat stepped up for a raid. He tried to tag an Iranian defender but was unable to do so and instead stepped out in the lobby with the Iranians in pursuit. One of the Iranian players lost his balance and stepped out of bounds at the back. And that’s when everything went downhill and into the chasm of confusion around the rules as both teams read them.
The rules as mentioned by the international federation say that unless a raider has touched a defender initiating a struggle, no defender can enter the lobby in pursuit. And if anyone does that or holds the raider in that area, then all the defenders in lobby with a touch on the raider will be declared out. But in the updated Pro Kabaddi League rules, if a raider steps out into the lobby without a touch, the raid immediately ends and only the raider is out, irrespective of who steps out after him. The referee announced a point each to both teams, as per the new PKL rules, something India challenged.
The referral was held up and the decision was changed to 4-1 in India’s favour. And then something happened that has as many versions as people. While Iran coach Gholamreza Mazandarani felt India pressed on despite a jury decision to hold up the game, India claimed the decision was changed back to 1-1 on a signal from the stands. With the entire top brass of International and Asian Kabaddi Federations in attendance – headed by India’s Vinod Kumar Tiwari and Iran’s Abbas Khajeh Avarseji respectively – it seemed to become a power struggle on the sidelines more than a contest on it.
The jury then changed the decision back to 1-1, India refused to accept it and the players sat in protest, further consultations led to the decision becoming 3-1 and another protest, this time by Iran and finally a suspension of the match as officials tried to work out a solution. They finally went in for discussion after making a public mockery for more than an hour and returned, stuck to the international rules and awarded 3-1 in India’s favour to make it 31-29. By then, it was just a formality as Iran had been reduced to two men and just 60 seconds left, India wrapping it up to take gold.
There was no indication of a usually 45-minute long kabaddi match stretching for almost two hours when the teams took to the mat. Tentative and cautious, probing the opposition before going for the big points, Iran took a 4-2 lead early on before Vishal Bhardwaj managed to get his leg over the line to make it 4-4. Amirmohammed Zafar and Nabibaksh kept nipping away bonus points to stay ahead while Mohammedreza Shadlou on the right corner and captain Fazel Atrachali on the left kept a lid on Indian raiders’ bonus attempts.
But with the difference never more than three points at any point, India stayed close and took lead for the first time with less than three minutes in the first half, reeling off five straight points to go 14-12 up and then get an all-out to go into the break 17-13 ahead. The second half was more of the same, neither team relenting in either pace or intensity. Shadlou, primarily a defender, returned with two points at 21-16 and then again at 24-22, leaving Arjun Deshwal the lone man standing and duly tackling him for an all-out and 25-25. It stayed level till 28-28 with 90 seconds to go when Pawan stepped up. And then the clock remained stuck.
61-year wait ends
While all this went on, at the Binjiang Gymnasium 30km away, a pair in their twenties was writing their own story into the history books, ending a 61-year wait for India’s first badminton gold at the Asian Games but the momentous occasion – finishing on top of the podium in a sport China considers its own, much like India does with kabaddi – was a comparatively sedate and straight-forward affair.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty knew they had achieved something special even before they entered the court and 57 minutes later, they had taken another step to being deservedly called the best India pair ever. Assured of being World No. 1s in men’s doubles after their semifinal win, the Indians let out a roar, Chirag made his trademark jump onto Satwik and danced around after a 21-18, 21-16 win against the Korean pair of Solgyu Choi and Wonho Kim.
Attacking with abandon with a series of smashes to take control, the Indians looked comfortable in front of packed stands even while trailing. Like the kabaddi team, the difference was never more than a couple of points and there was no cause for worry. The Koreans sped to 8-4 that soon became 18-15 before the Indians switched gears to take six straight points and take the first game.
The second game was similar as the Indians seized control from the middle, relying mostly on flat smashes and the occasional drops. A slow court and no drift helped, as did coaches Mathias Boe and Pullela Gopichand from the sidelines. At 13-12 the Indians reeled off four straight points and even though the Koreans fought back, they only delayed the inevitable that finally came when Kim returned long and the Indians knew it was over.
In the morning, the women’s team became the proud herald of India’s 100th medal in the edition and bringing that up with a gold made it special as the girls shouted ‘Veer bhogya swarna padak’, their war-cry, team motto and motivational slogan rolled into one.
The women started well and led 14-9 at the end of the first period with a super raid for both sides but Chinese Taipei, the only team to hold India to a draw in the opening match of the competition, fought back in the second refusing to go down without a fight, scoring 16 points to India’s 12 including a super tackle and effecting an all out. But the eight bonus points India won proved to be the difference.
Archers’ day out
On a rainy morning here at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Center, the Indian archers made it rain medals. And the duo – Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale – which kickstarted the gold rush in archery as a mixed team, completed an unprecedented full set in the Asian Games on October 7. Jyothi defeated South Korea’s So Chae-won 149-145 to claim individual gold to go with her women’s team gold and Ojas overcame compatriot Abhishek Verma 149-147 to complete his treble, including the men’s team gold he won alongside Abhishek.
And both Jyothi and Ojas dropped one 9 in their respective finals, displaying their ruthless precision. It’s quite remarkable how India’s successful Asiad campaign has been built around these two archers who are at differing points in their careers.
Jyothi, who began shooting bows at the age of 11 and who is competing in her third Asian Games, is finally putting her demons to rest and is enjoying the best year of her career.
The Indian compound team coach Sergio Pagni was chuffed for Jyothi. “For Jyothi, this is a very cathartic moment because she has lost so many gold medals in the final during her career. She has deserved [the gold medal] so much,” said Pagni.
Until June last year, Jyothi has always come so close without ever being able to get past the finish line. She had four silver and three bronze medals in the World Championships, and one silver and six bronze in the World Cups. She was also dropped from the Indian team after failing to make the trials and there was also ‘the queen of compound archery’, Sara Lopez, who has been a constant thorn in her side. The Colombian beat Jyothi to three golds in the 2021 World Championships.
But since then, she has won a World Cup gold, a World Championship gold and beaten Lopez twice this year.
Pagni said it was important for Jyothi to get over her mental block without getting fixated on her opponents. “Jyothi focused a lot on herself and she was very good about it. I do not need to convince her that Sara Lopez can be beaten. You have to convince the athlete that there is no opponent in front of you. Just there is you and your target. It is impossible to manage your level to that of another athlete. What is possible is to manage your own level. You can manage yourself, not another athlete,” said the Italian.
That crossing over the bridge moment came for Jyothi when she beat Lopez in the first stage of the World Cup this year in Antalya, where she beat her rival to win gold.
After having gone through all the tough times, Jyothi is now happy to have ended her drought. “The waiting period is always tough for everyone and it was the same for me. Now that the good time has come, I just want want to live in this moment,” she said. “I started to think more positively [this year]. I focussed more on the positive side and not on the negative side. If you think about negatives, it may begin to affect your performance and mental health also.”
While Jyothi has had to wait so long to taste gold, Ojas, at just 21, and in his second year with the senior Indian team, is already a world champion and a triple gold medallist in his maiden Asiad.
“It was like a friendly,” said Ojas of the final. “In my head, I thought, even if I lose to bhaiyya, I should give a good fight.” Ojas gave Abhishek more than a fight as he shot all 10s with his first 10 arrows to set the tone for the final, which left Abhishek with little room for errors. Ojas shot a nine with his 11th shot, but followed it up with four more 10s to clinch gold.
And for Ojas and his coach Pravin Sawant, it’s the result of all the training hours put into fine-tuning the former’s skills at the latter’s training ground in Satara. Sawant has created an academy, where he trains his wards, including Aditi Swami, who won an individual bronze on Saturday.
Ojas, who hails from Nagpur, turned to Pravin for advanced-level coaching. “In Satara, we were totally cut off from the rest of the world. It’s a place surrounded by mountains and is peaceful. We stay at the ground, sleep there, train there. Our hostel is on the ground. We are connected to archery 24/7,” said the youngster, who tried his hand at rollerskating and gymnastics before switching to archery.
According to Pravin, Ojas’ dedication to the sport became apparent to him, when he chose to spend Diwali at the academy instead of going home to his family. “He was the only one there. That’s when I realised how dedicated he is. That’s when we bonded properly,” said Pravin.
Ojas added, “Whenever we need anything if we need guidance during, say, night practice. he’s there with us. I have stayed there continuously all these years. I don’t go back home. My first home is the archery ground. The second home is where my parents live.”
And it is Pravin, who is now insisting that Ojas goes back home for a few days at the end of the Asian Games. Ojas knows it’s not going to be straightforward since he is going to be the toast of his hometown. “All I want to do is shut the doors of my house and stay at home with my parents,” Ojas said with a smile.
Higher seeding does it
The local volunteers did their best to keep the crowd entertained through the light rains for over 20 minutes, but when it picked up in intensity, the supporters started to make their way inside to find cover.
An hour later, the men’s cricket final here at the Pingfeng Cricket Campus on Saturday was called off, robbing the fans of a finish and Afghanistan a chance to fight for a rare Asian Games gold medal. India, which didn’t have a bat in the game, was awarded the win and the gold as a result of their higher seeding in the tournament.
The Indian team then came out and celebrated in the rain in what was a unique experience for everyone involved. India barely put a foot wrong in the three matches it took part in and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s men looked primed for the top prize.
“We are not used to winning medals. We are all very emotional,” said Ruturaj after the medal ceremony. “It was disappointing not to have the full game, but that’s something we can’t control.”
Afghanistan, which has had a solid outing itself, would feel hard done after it recovered from an early collapse to post 112/5 in 18.2 overs.
“I am very proud of the silver, it’s our first silver for Afghanistan. This is everything for me,” said Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib.