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The action from the fourth day of the Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 continued as neighbouring rivals India and Pakistan clashed at the Al Wasl Sports Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The two sides met in the second match of the fourth day of the tournament as we saw a repeat of the opening match that saw the Indian side dominate on the mat and score a 35-20 win over the Pakistan team and start the tournament on a strong note.
Both India and Pakistan come into the match on the back of victories over the third side in the group, Kenya. India beat the Kenyans with a dominating 48-19 win that saw Indian raiders Rishank Devadiga and Monu Goyat dazzle on the mat with Super 10s to their credit. The Kenyans found it tough to get going against the strong Indian defence and lost by the big margin. Pakistan also produced a strong all-around performance against the African Nation as Muhammad Imran was the star man for Pakistan in a match that saw Kenya show good spirit in the second half of the match.
India put out a strong lineup tonight against their fierce rivals that saw skipper Ajay Thakur lead the raiding party with Rohit Kumar and Rishank Devadiga against the Pakistan defenders. The corners were manned by the duo of Girish Maruti Ernak and Mohit Chhillar as Surender Nada was benched for this crucial clash. Pakistan's lineup was led by the experienced captain Nasir Ali on the left corner defence and his partner Wasim Sajjad on the other corner. Mudassar Ali and Muhammad Nadeem were the main raiders for the Pakistani side tonight.
India secured their spot in the final four of the Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 with a strong performance against rivals Pakistan as they won 41-17 to win their third match in a row in Dubai. India will take on Kenya tomorrow in their final Group clash as Pakistan get a rest day tomorrow.
#1 Super Start by India's Rohit Kumar
India began the game on a strong note as Rishank Devadiga and Rohit Kumar kept the scoreboard ticking with consistent scoring raids to put early pressure on the Pakistani defenders. Ajay Thakur was putting in timely raids to rotate the raiding flow and keep the Pakistani defence on their toes.
However, it was Rohit Kumar who produced the first major highlight of the match as he scored a 'Super Raid' worth three points, two touches and a bonus point. Rohit went to the right corner with a reverse kick attempt and got the bonus and on his way back to the mid-line, executed an impeccable turn getting two touches and got his hand past the mid-line.
#2 India get the first all-out on Pakistan with a strong defensive showing
The Pakistani raiders Mudassar Ali and Muhammad Imran had a tough time against the Indian defenders as they operated in great cohesion along the entire mat. The two corners Girish Maruti Ernak and Mohit Chhillar were manning the ends with great movement and supervision. The right cover Surjeet Singh was the crucial man for India as he led from the centre of the mat and made sure that the raiders from Pakistan never got comfortable on the mat.
#3 Pakistani skipper Nasir Ali get his wind knocked out
After the initial storm by the Indian raiders, Pakistani defence slowly managed to get their bearings on the mat and did well to score some tackle points to cut the lead taken by India. Wasim Sajjad and Nasir Ali were operating well and took Rishank Devadiga and Rohit Kumar out of the game a couple of times with great efforts.
However, the left corner defender Nasir Ali, the Pakistan captain, got hurt during a Rohit Kumar raid when he took a blow on his ribcage from the reverse kick attempted by the raider. Despite that, Nasir jumped to hold on to the ankle and Pakistan got the raid point. The captain had to be substituted off and Pakistan missed his efforts on the mat.
#4 Ajay Thakur cleans out the Pakistani side with two superb raids
Pakistan were down to four men on the mat and Indian skipper Ajay Thakur was in prime flow and took the responsibility upon himself to inflict the all-out on the rival side.
In his first raid, he managed to get a hand touch on the left corner with a classic 'Ajay Thakur' manoeuvre that clinched one point and reduced the Pakistan side to three men. The Pakistani raider was taken out by the Indian defenders during his attempt and now Pakistan were looking at the looming shadow of an all-out hovering over them. It was Thakur again who went in to raid against the two Pakistani defenders.
Ajay put the pressure right from the start on the left corner and got him against the boundary line and scored the touch. On his way towards the mid-line, the other defender rushed on him but Thakur brushed off the man and turned to make his way to the mid-line and exulted in joy after securing the all-out for India.
#5 Monu Goyat produces a superb second-half performance
The highest buy of the Pro Kabaddi League action, Monu Goyat was benched by coach Srini Reddy for the match but after a couple of mistakes towards the end by Rohit Kumar, he was subbed in for the second half.
Monu Goyat started with his classic bonus point on the right corner with a great leg extension. He kept his momentum going and managed to get 7 points in six raid attempts producing a stellar second-half showing to make his claim for the top raiding spot in the heavily-stacked Indian raiding lineup.
