Indian men’s kabaddi team booked their title defence clash at the ongoing Asian Games 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya on Friday, thrashing Thailand in a largely one-sided semifinal.
India defeated Thailand 66-28, and the eight-time men’s kabaddi champions at the Asian Games will now defend their crown against either Iran or Chinese Taipei on Saturday.
The Indian men’s kabaddi team started off the semifinal clash on a dominating note, taking a 7-1 lead within the first five minutes.
However, Thailand, courtesy of some fine performances from Theeradat Chaisit, who put in a raid to win three points and made Team India get all out, managed a fightback and reduced the deficit to 14-23.
Theeradat continued being a lone warrior for his team, but India led 37-18 at half-time.
With 11 minutes to go in the match, India hit the 50-point mark, leading Thailand 50-23. India continued to dominate in the final few minutes of the match, with Thailand not getting any space to breathe.
India managed a total of 43 outs as compared to just 20 by their opponents. India also earned eight all-out points as compared to just two by Thailand. India managed 15 bonus points as well, compared to just five by Thailand.
(ANI)
