'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The second semi-final of the Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 took place at the Al Wasl Sports Complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as World Cup and Asian champions India took on South Korea.
South Korea came into this match on the back of a comprehensive victory over South American side Argentina as the raiders put on a strong performance.
India had won all their matches in the tournament so far scoring comfortable wins over neighbouring rivals Pakistan and Kenya in the group stage with stellar all-around showings.
South Korea's skipper Jang Kun Lee was the major anchor for the Koreans as they hoped to stage an upset over the Indians in a repeat of their win at the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016.
He had fellow raiders Dong Ju Hong and Hyun Il Park at his side to raise a formidable challenge to the Indian defenders.
Korea's defence was helmed by Young Chang Ko who along with Tae Deok Eom had the responsibility of keeping the stellar Indian raiding unit in check.
The Indian side were led by Ajay Thakur who had a plethora of stars at his side with raiders Pardeep Narwal and Rishank Devadiga to lead the charge tonight against Korea. The defense was manned by the experienced trio of Surjeet Singh, Mohit Chhillar and Girish Maruti Ernak.
The Indian side won the match with a scoreline of 36-20 as Ajay Thakur and Girish Maruti Ernak produced strong performances on the night to propel India into the final of the Kabaddi Masters.
#1 Korea start the encounter on a strong note
Majority opinion had favoured the Indian side to win easily against the South Korean side but the Koreans had different thoughts on their mind and wen all out to prove them.
The match began with two scoring raids for the Koreans as Indian raiders Pardeep Narwal and Ajay Thakur put in empty raids but Thakur managed to open the account for the Indian side. However, Korea kept it going with constant points and smart, cautious Korean defence made it tough for the Indians to score with freedom.
Jang Kun Lee further inflicted more damage when he scored a Super Raid on the right corner putting further pressue on the Indian side.
#2 Captain Ajay Thakur leads the charge to get India back in the game
The Koreans had taken an unexpected lead in the match with Jang Kun Lee and the Korean defenders keeping the Indian defenders under pressure from the start of the match.
Pardeep Narwal did not seem like replicating his form from the previous encounter and Rishank Devadiga was also looking out of touch so far but it was the main man Ajay Thakur again who shouldered the responsibility of the side and mounted the comeback in the match.
He kept going in for crucial raids and consistently scored points to keep the scoreboard ticking for the Indian team as they overcame the deficit and took the lead in the match. Thakur ended the first half with a tally of six raid points and one tackle point as India led 17-10.
#3 Monu Goyat makes hay of his opportunity again
Pardeep Narwal and Rishank Devadiga were given the start in the crucial encounter tonight as Monu Goyat and Rohit Kumar were benched by the Indian coach Srinivas Reddy.
However, both of them could not contribute much to the raiding department tonight and struggled against the Korean defenders.
Coach Reddy put on Goyat quickly taking Narwal and that change proved dividends for India as he started on a promising note.
Goyat used his calm, composed raiding demeanour to effectively trouble the Korean defenders. He almost scored bonus points at will and raided in tandem with the captain Ajay Thakur to keep the pressure and lead in favour of the Indian side.
#4 Jang Kun Lee keeps the Korean fight alive in the match
The captain Jang Kun Lee was again the most important player on the mat for South Korea as he kept the challenge alive going into the second half of the match.
The Pro Kabaddi League veteran of five years led the side from the front as he kept scoring points at regular intervals with his tenacious raiding skills.
He was a threat all across the mat as he scored points on both ends of the mat and even helped out in the defence, assisting in a couple of combination tackles as the Korean side kept fighting to stay alive in the semi-final.
#5 Girish Maruti Ernak gets a 'High 5' as India enters the final
Indian defence was a strong unit as cover defender Surjeet Singh oversaw proceedings from the centre with experienced campaigners Girish Maruti Ernak and Mohit Chhillar manned the corners of the defence.
Ernak produced an incredible performance tonight as he completed his 'High 5' garnering tackled points from the left corner with command.
He was always strong and quick to jump with diving ankle holds and displayed great strength to make life tough for the Korean raiders and ended with a tally of 8 tackle points.
India ended up winning the match with a scoreline of 36-20 to set up a mouth-watering clash against Iran in the final tomorrow.
What did you think about India's performance against South Korea? Sound off your opinions in the comments section below!
