India crush Thailand 66-28 to storm into Asian Games kabaddi final, stand one win from gold

India’s men moved within one victory of retaining their Asian Games kabaddi crown Friday after demolishing Thailand 66-28 in a brutally one-sided semifinal. The defending champions dominated virtually every phase of the contest, piling on points through their raiders while repeatedly forcing Thailand into all-outs to book their place in the gold-medal match.

The 38-point victory underlined India’s commanding run through the tournament and ensured another Asian Games medal for the men’s team. More importantly, it kept alive their bid to defend the title they reclaimed at Hangzhou in 2023 after losing their long-held continental crown in 2018.

India run riot

India imposed themselves from the outset and quickly opened a sizeable advantage, with Thailand struggling to contain the pace and variety of the Indian raiding unit. The defence was equally unforgiving, closing down Thailand’s attempts to build momentum and repeatedly sending its raiders back empty-handed.

Once India established control, there was little respite for Thailand. The defending champions continued to attack rather than protect their lead, stretching the margin through successive raids and tackles and turning what was expected to be a high-pressure semifinal into a rout.

Thailand attempted to respond but could not sustain enough successful raids to put India under pressure. By the closing stages, the result was beyond doubt, with India eventually completing a 66-28 victory and advancing to another Asian Games final.

One win from another gold

India entered the Aichi-Nagoya Games as defending champions after reclaiming the men’s kabaddi title in Hangzhou three years ago. That triumph had restored the country to the top of the Asian Games podium after Iran ended India’s extraordinary run of seven consecutive gold medals at Jakarta in 2018.

Kabaddi has historically been one of India’s strongest Asian Games disciplines, with the men winning every edition from the sport’s introduction at Beijing 1990 through Incheon 2014. The 2018 setback therefore represented a rare interruption to their dominance before India returned to the summit in 2023.

Friday’s emphatic semifinal victory has now given the defending champions an opportunity to add another title to that record. After putting 66 points past Thailand, India head into the final with their gold-medal defence intact and the continental crown once again within reach.