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The morning session of the third day of the Kabaddi event in the ongoing South Asian Games 2019 witnessed the conclusion of the preliminary stages of the women's category. India and Nepal have qualified for the gold-medal match, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have got placed at the third and, fourth spot respectively.
Ritu Negi and Harvinder Kaur started the match as the corners for India, with vice-skipper Deepika Joseph and captain Priyanka in the covers. Nisha, Pushpa, and Sakshi Kumari played as the raiders for India in a high-stakes encounter.
The Nepali women's team squared off against India in the opening fixture of the day. Since both sides qualified for the Final on the second day itself, it was a preview of the gold-medal match set to take place on 9th December. India dominated the hosts right from the start with an early all-out, as they led by 12 points by the end of half-time 21-9.
The likes of Deepika Joseph and Pushpa scored consistent raid points for India, giving no chance to Nepal to make a comeback in the encounter. India inflicted two all-outs with ease in the second half. The Nepali women's team inflicted three super tackles in the match, but couldn't overcome the odds. India remained unbeaten with a hefty 24-pointer win over Nepal with a full-time score of 43-19.
The Sri Lankan women's team locked horns with Bangladesh in the second fixture of the morning session. In what was a low-scoring clash for both sides, Bangladesh led the first half with just a two-point lead in the first-half at 9-7.
Both sides played on the do or die raids as it was the clash that would eventually determine who'd finish third. Bangladesh kept their nerve in the second half and managed to inflict a super tackle as well. Sri Lanka sent their raider in the final raid of the match with the scores level on 16-16. Bangladesh attempted a successful tackle at the last moment and won the clash by a point's margin at 16-17.
The evening session of the third day will witness the fixtures of the men's category. Nepal will look to save themselves from elimination versus Sri Lanka, while India and Pakistan will square off in a heated rivalry.
You can look at the points table of the Kabaddi event in the South Asian Games 2019 here.
