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What's the story?
Indian Kabaddi received yet another feather in the cup with the Senior men's team clinching the gold medal at the International Invitational Men's Championship held at the National Sports Council in Nepal.
Ever since the inception of the Pro Kabaddi League, the ancient sport has been given a new lease of life, unearthing newer and fresher talents with each passing day. Cities are on the lookout for crisp youngsters who are trained at the grassroots level in readiness for the top-most level.
The team which claimed the trophy and brought honours to the country was bereft of the main players, considering that they were participating in the PKL and instead comprised of a talented lot of youngsters who were unfortunate not to make the cut for the lucrative league.
In case you didn't know
The Indian national team was invited for the championship and had to send its reserve squad since the main players were busy in the PKL. The tournament kick-started in Kathmandu on Thursday and included senior teams from Bangladesh and one from Nepal itself.
Heart of the Matter
The strength and class of the Indian team came to the fore as the team finished on top of the table with two wins from two games and in the match to determine the group toppers, India beat Nepal 51-26.
In the final, Nepal had an opportunity to extract revenge but the opportunity went begging as India turned out too hot to handle for the hosts and went on to knock the wind out of Nepal's sails with a 59-21 win.
India seemed to dictate proceedings right from the first minute and went into the second half with a 37-11 lead that all but sealed the match in their favour. In the second half, Nepal could not find their footing which meant India ran away with the match in the end.
Author's Take
Indian Kabaddi quality is increasing by leaps and bounds and it's no surprise that even the reserve team went on to clinch the championship. With the country unraveling talented youngsters with every passing year, the amount of talented that the country boasts of is immeasurable.
