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What's the story?
Asian Games gold medal winner and defending World Cup winner, Indian men's kabaddi team got shell-shocked when South Korea defeated them by a margin of just 1 point at the ongoing Asian Games 2018. South Korea defeated India 24-23.
In case you didn't know...
India is currently playing in the Asian Games and is grouped with South Korea in Pool A along with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Thailand. India had already won the two group stage matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India was playing the third match against South Korea on Monday.
The heart of the matter
India had opened with a well-balanced squad against the Korean team, but they were not able to make a good start as Korea took an early lead in the match with strong defense. India once again got the scores level, but Korean raiders gave them back the lead.
The Indian defense was not too good in this match and hence Korea had taken 3-point lead over India at half-time. After the half-time, the Indian raiders tried to gain advantage but the Korean defense, along with their raider, was extraordinary. They did not allow Indian players to play freely and prevented them from taking the lead.
India had the opportunity to win or at least draw the game in the last raid of the match. Captain Ajay Thakur took the responsibility of the raid, but the Korean defender dashed him out after he took the bonus point. Hence, both teams got 1 point each and Korea, therefore, was able to pull off the shocker. Jan Kun Lee was the star of the win.
What's next?
After losing to Korea now, it is most likely that India will not get the 1st position in the group stage. This may lead to the probable match against Iran in the semi-finals due to this. India will now take on Thailand in the last game of the group stage, while South Korea will take on Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Will this result have any effect on the Indian team's morale? Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.
