Kabaddi Recap: Iran broke India's gold record in Asian Games 2018

As India lost to the Iranian team, many dreams were shattered, and so was the confidence of the Indian team, who had won the gold medal in every single Asiad tournament since 1990. The Iranian squad broke India's record in Asian Games by winning their first gold medal leaving all stunned by their unexpectedly terrific performance. 

The Indian team had failed to qualify for the finals as the Iranian team beat them 18-27 in the semi-finals leaving all Indian Kabaddi fans in tears. The long domination of the Indian Kabaddi team starting in the 1990 Asian Games finally ended in 2018. India could've been more careful with the Iranian squad, given that Iran came very close to ending India's domination in the last two Asiad tournaments as the games ended with Iran holding the silver medal. In 2018, Iran finally succeeded in doing what it had been trying so hard to do for the past two seasons. 

There's no doubt that Iran is rising high in the field of Kabaddi. The Pro Kabaddi League itself has seen many talented Iranian players who have also become some of the costliest foreign players in the PKL. Mohammadreza Chiyaneh, one of the Iranian players who played in PKL 8, scored the highest tackle points and the highest High5s in the season. 

"It's a very sad day for Indian Kabaddi. I had tears in my eyes when we lost. The team displayed no control, coordination or strategy. It looked like the players just turned up and felt they would coast into the final. The team simply lacked the killer instinct today," said Ashok Shinde, the former captain of the Indian team when India played the first Asian Games in 1990. 

The Asian Games were scheduled for September 2022 and hosted by China; however, due to a sudden outbreak of COVID-19, Asian Games have been postponed for next year. After losing to Iran in 2018 in Jakarta, India should be in complete form to not let the Iranians win this time, knowing now what they're capable of.