Drawing inspiration from Ajay Thakur’s superlative performance, India won the Kabaddi World Cup for the third consecutive time after a tough fight against Iran.
The two sports titans contested in one of the most difficult matches ever played, with India carrying the day.
India had defeated Iran in the past two finals but was trailing 13 – 18 in this third final. Ajay Thakur showcased a terrific performance – 12 points – which helped India register a powerful second half comeback, sending the packed crowds at the TransStadia Arena into raptures. Thakur was on fire throughout the match and eventually ended the tournament with the most raid points.
The 12 points score left the Iran team in tatters, swinging the tournament to the favor of India.
Tough Match played
Despite the win, India did not have all a smooth match.
The Indian raiders were left in massive destruction in the first half with Iran defenders bringing forth some super defense.
The Iranian’s Meraj Sheykh showcased a top notch performance and looked like the raider was under his docket. He created lots of problems for the Indian team as he enjoyed the game of his lifetime. But he was not able to get credible support from the other Iran raiders.
In the second half, the teams traded punches and both gave their best performance. The early Sandeep Narwal blows left India confused, but Thakur scored to give his team a 2 – 0 lead which Meraj Sheykh equalized to 2 – 2 in the fourth minute.
This was a match of its own kind, meeting the expectations predicted by sports experts. Neither of the teams was ready to give into a quick win.
India Cricket team congratulated
Following their thrilling win against Iran, fans were everywhere on twitter pouring the Indian team with congratulatory messages.
Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan was one of the first to share his delight on India winning the title.
He said, “Good win India that was a complete team effort and super Energy from fans.”
Other stars that did not hesitate to pour in tributes include Gutta Jwala, Harsha Bhogle and Virender Sehwag.