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The thrilling Kabaddi action continued on the second day of the Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 as World champions India took on Kenya at the Al Wasl Sports Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Group A clash saw India play their second match in the tournament after their win last night against neighboring rivals Pakistan. India ended up winning the match with a comfortable 36-20 scoreline in a stellar led by skipper Ajay Thakur. Kenya, who also had played in the Kabaddi World Cup in India back in 2016, played their first match in the Kabaddi Masters Dubai.
India fielded a star-studded lineup against Pakistan with all the players plying their trade in the Pro Kabaddi League and came with a strong pedigree in the game. India's captain Ajay Thakur led from the front against Pakistan as he scored eight raid point and two raid points on the night.
India's star raiders Rahul Chaudhari and Pardeep Narwal had a rare off-night as the substitute Rohit Kumar did well to aid Thakur in the raiding department in the second half. Indian defence was led by the ever reliable duo of Surender Nada and Surjeet Singh who put on a steely performance against the Pakistani raiders.
Kenya came into the match with some promise counting on their skipper David Mosambayi's Pro Kabaddi League experience to lead against the mighty Indian side and put up a strong fight.
India continued their winning run in the Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 with a strong showing against the Kenyan side winning the match with a 48-19 scoreline at the end of the match.
Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat were the standout performers for the Indian side with both the raiders notching up 'Super 10s' in the match as skipper Ajay Thakur was afforded rest in the raiding department and led the team from the mat.
Defenders Girish Ernak and Sandeep Narwal marshaled the troops and put up a strong front against the well-built and strong Kenyan raiders. The Kenya side will take some positives from the defeat as they were able to inflict a couple of Super Tackles on India and it could prove handy against their opponents Pakistan tomorrow.
#1 India take command of the match at the start
As was expected, India began the game on a strong note capitalizing on their three strong raiders - Ajay Thakur, Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat who were solid from the start with smart raiding from both sides of the mat.
They did not allow the Kenyan defence to settle from the get-go inflicting a quick all-out on the Africans taking a commanding lead in the initial minutes of the match.
#2 Kenya show spirit, give a tough fight to the Indian side
After the early storm by the Indian side and the comfortable lead in the first ten minutes, Kenya slowly gathered their bearings and started to play a stable game on the mat.
Their raiders Izaac Njoroge and Chrispine Otieno were showing some glimpses of smart raiding and managed to cut the Indian lead down to less than 10 points.
The Indian side was a tad flustered for the first time in the match but did not let the Kenyans completely overwhelm them courtesy the strong raiding displayed by the duo of Devadiga and Goyat.
#3 Rishank Devadiga shines for India with a stellar showing
India have a plethora of raiding talent in their squad in Dubai with a host of top Pro Kabaddi League raiders selected by coach Srini Reddy for the Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018.
After the off-colour performances by star men Rahul Chaudhari and Pardeep Narwal in the first match, India decided to shake things up for the match against Kenya and played Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat in the starting seven.
The change proved to be a positive one as Rishank Devadiga was incredibly consistent throughout the match showing good strength and movement across the mat to score timely points. Devadiga became the first Indian player in the Kabaddi Masters Dubai to score the Super 10 in the second half when he scored a bonus point on the left corner of the Kenyan defence.
#4 Indian defence puts on a steely showing in the second half
Kenya had managed to cause a little trouble to the Indian side in the first half with efficent raiding by Chrispine Otieno and Izaac Njoroge. However, it was not enough to unsettle the Indian defence who were quick to adjust their game in the second period.
Indian defenders made life difficult for the Kenyan raiders in the second half as Girish Ernak and Sandeep Narwal ran the play on the mat from the two corners with great coordination. Ajay Thakur also assisted the defence with a couple of ankle holds to his credit after being relieved from lead raiding duties tonight.
#5 Monu Goyat grabbed his Super ten towards the end of the match
Coming into the tournament with the pressure of becoming the highest priced player in the recently concluded Pro Kabaddi League Action, Goyat was raring to go to prove his credentials on the mat.
The Services man was benched for the first match against Pakistan but was included in the starting seven tonight and lived up to the faith shown by the coach.
Goyat, along with Devadiga proved to be the main thorns for the Kenyan defence.
Goyat managed to notch his Super 10 in the match when he scored a four-point raid towards the end of the match finishing up a strong performance on the night.
Can India continue the good form? Sound off your opinions in the comments section below!
