India outclass Pakistan in Kabaddi Masters opener
Dubai, June 22 : India stood up to their reputation, thrashing Pakistan 36-20 in the opening match of the Kabaddi Masters Dubai at the Al Wasl sports club here on Friday.
The Ajay Thakur-led side started off sensibly, gauging the weakness and strength of Pakistan in the initial minutes before thrashing their arch-rivals to notch up a tsunami of points.
Reeling under pressure, Pakistan gifted away some easy points as they lacked any co-ordination and confidence on the mat.
India will now take on Kenya in their second match on Saturday
Both teams started on a positive note but after few minutes, Pakistan sent back India's star raider Rahul Chaudhary to take an one point lead. But Indian skipper Thakur equalised handsomely through a gentle touch on the opponent's side.
At one point, India got a chance to reduce the opponents to three players but Sandeep failed to dog so.
With both teams registering points one after the other, Chaudhary led India's defence to take a four-point lead with just seven minutes to go in the first half.
He stood up to his reputation and pressurised the Pakistanis to that extent that one player stepped out from the playing area to hand India one point.
A comfortably placed India then had the excellent opportunity to get Pakistan all out and they did that in style. Rohit, who was the substitute for Surjeet, came for the raid and inflicted an all-out to make it 14-8 with only four minutes remaining.
In the 18th minute, Rohit got a brilliant opportunity to make his opponents reel on the floor and he made it with an excellent raid to force Pakistan to play with one player.
By the time, the first half ended India deservingly made a lop-sided affair with a whopping 22-8 lead.
The change of sides saw Thakur making it worse for Pakistan as he inflicted another all out in the opening second of the second half.
It was clearly visible that the Pakistan players were feeling the heat as they gifted some easy points, helping India swell their lead to 27-8.
But Pakistan did not give up easily, threatening India by getting four players out but Chaudhury splashed water on their plans and took some crucial points to maintain the lead.
Towards the end, Pakistan managed to sneak in a few points but that was not enough to overhaul India's lead as the Thakur-led side kicked off their campaign in style.
Despite having a good side, Pakistan lost the issue, Asked about on which front Pakistan lacked, India coach Srinivas Reddy said: "Our raiders are better than Pakistan and that is the only difference between both the teams."
He also said that this Indian side has a strong bench strength which also helped in Friday's match and will help in the upcoming matches.
In other match, Iran produced a clinical all-round performance to beat South Korea 35-20. Iran's raiders and defenders combined well whereas South Korea's over reliance on their star man Jang Kun Lee was exposed.
Lee scored 10 raid points whereas his teammates could muster just three raid points combined.
For Iran, Mohammed Malak scored six tackle points and marshaled the defence superbly. Mohammed Nabibbaksh and Mohammad Magshoudlou were the key raiders for Iran.
Earlier, India's Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore unveiled the trophy in presence of Bollywood actor and Jaipur Pink Panthers Kabaddi club owner Abhishek Bachchan.
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KSCA expresses disappointment over missing IPL playoffs, says it was ready to host matches in B’luru
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has issued a clarification stating that it was fully prepared to host the IPL playoffs and final matches in Bengaluru but the fixtures were allotted to other venues.
In a media note, KSCA said it was disappointed with the decision. The association stated that its president, former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, had been in touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and had formally conveyed the association’s readiness and interest in hosting the matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KSCA said the IPL matches held in Bengaluru this season were appreciated for smooth conduct, crowd management and overall experience for spectators. It said this reflected its ability to handle high-profile matches.
The association also stated that it had sent a detailed communication to the BCCI explaining its preparedness and the operational arrangements followed during the current IPL season. According to KSCA, these systems have been in place since the start of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and were followed consistently, including during previous playoff matches hosted in Bengaluru.
The clarification added that the communication sent to the BCCI was only meant to provide factual and operational details and to bring clarity on logistical and stakeholder-related requirements involved in hosting such matches.
KSCA said that although it had shown willingness and preparedness, the BCCI has decided to allocate the playoff matches to other venues. It added that the reasons for this decision have not been formally shared with the association, but it respects the authority of the board in taking such decisions.
The association further said it remains ready to host matches of national and international importance and will continue to cooperate with the BCCI, franchises, government authorities and other stakeholders for conducting cricket events.
The statement was issued by KSCA official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who also thanked the media and cricket fans for their continued support.
