Asian Games 2018: 5 things that went wrong for the Indian Kabaddi team in the semifinal against Iran

#3 The leverage of 'match pressure'

A lot of hopes were pinned on the Kabaddi team to bring back a gold medal

The Indians came into the tournament as favourites to win, and although teams like Iran and Pakistan were set to pose a stiff challenge, the Indians were still given the upper hand, considering the depth in the squad.

In the group stages, apart from the one-off match against Korea, the Men in Blue were on top of their game and ran through the opponents to stake a spot in the semi-finals.

As the schedule for the semi-finals was drawn, the fact that India was to take on Iran was a huge proposition to consider, given Iran's strength.

Yet, the Indian team was stronger on paper and hence the added pressure to perform better and make its way to the finals.

Unfortunately for the Indians, that pressure revealed itself as a huge obstacle on the whole team, which the Ajay Thakur-led side could not demolish and succumbed in the end.