The date is 7th October and all eyes will be glued to TV sets to watch the Kabaddi World Cup 2016 taking place in Ahmedabad and 12 countries will participating for the top prize in the round robin format, which promises to be an exciting affair. A group of 14 players has been selected to play for the ‘Indian Dream Team’ in this World Cup, post a camp that comprised of 26 of the best kabaddi players.
The national team will be captained by Arjuna awardee Anup Kumar and includes the likes of experienced campaigners like Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Manjeet Chhillar alongside young guns like Deepak Hooda, Pardeep Narwal and Nitin Tomar amongst others.India will kick start their campaign with a match against South Korea on the inaugural day, and will go on to play five other matches at the group stage.
With a squad that will boast of a strong playing 7 along with an equally talented bench strength, the home team coached by Balwant Singh seems quite a formidable force going into the tournament. What really adds to the excitement to the fans in India is the fact that their team has the best shot at retaining the title which they last won in 2007 against Iran.
Team India have never lost the World Cup, which has been held two times prior to this one. In addition, they have won the gold medal at the Asian Games a record 9 times since the sport was introduced at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.The Indian Team has everything going for it, from the statistics to the history and the best possible squad to take on the eleven opposing teams at the World Cup.
Here are the top 5 reasons why India will win the Kabaddi World Cup 2016:
#1 Anup Kumar
The leader of the pack is nicknamed ‘Captain Cool’ for a reason. He is to the Indian Kabaddi Team what MS Dhoni is to the Indian Cricket Team. Just like the cricket skipper, Anup Kumar is a cool, calm and composed tactician. He marshals his troops on the mat in the most efficient manner, guiding them and setting himself as an example. Combine this with his great raiding skills, his key move being the ability to get a toe touch on the opposition’s players, and his defensive prowess, India have the perfect captain to lead the team at the World Cup.
#2 All-rounders
A combination of experience and youth, the deadly combination of Manjeet Chhillar, Deepak Hooda and Sandeep Narwal can keep opponents guessing on the front and back foot! All three players bring plenty to the table for India to succeed on the map for one can rely on them not only to go in and raid but also stand like a wall in the defense. When it comes to the Pro Kabaddi League, the combined total of the trio is a mammoth amount of over 1100 points, thus evidently if these three strike together, they can run down any sort of opposition.
#3 The Defensive Duo of Mohit Chillar and Surender Nada
Be it U Mumba, Bengaluru Bulls or the Indian Team, wherever these two play.. they play together like brothers-in-arms. While Surender Nada mans the left corner on the mat, Mohit Chhillar stand tall in the right one. They know each other's game inside-out and can thus effectively plan when to strike on the player raiding, whether it will be an ankle hold from Surender or a waist hold form Mohit is decided just by mere eye movements between the two cover defenders. Their combined tally in the Pro Kabaddi League is 330 points, which alone is a statistic that rival raiders should be wary of!
#4 Pro Kabaddi League
Well with two seasons of the league happening each year, it has made the Indian kabaddi players well conditioned to the demands and competitiveness of the game, physically as well as mentally. Also the league has given them the chance to play alongside players from other countries like Iran, South Korea and Kenya, which will in turn help them understand the oppositions game plan better and have an insight into their strengths and weaknesses.
#5 Home Support
The entire tournament will be held in the city of Ahmedabad, which will ensure that the Indian team never faces a scenario where they lack cheering and support from the home crowd. Kabaddi, in the last couple of years has gained immense following, and hence there will be numerous loyal fans thronging to the stadium to not only witness the national team live in action but also encourage the players and uplift their spirits to an all together new level. This will be a key factor that all opposition teams shall dearly miss out on!
