India beat Iran 37-34 to win women's kabaddi gold at Asian Games in Japan
India defeated Iran 37-34 in the women's kabaddi final at the Asian Games in Japan on September 26, securing the gold medal under captain Pushpa Rana. Pushpa will leave Japan with a gold medal around her neck after leading the team in the tournament.
It was Pushpa's second Asian Games and her first as India's captain; she described the win as a long-held ambition. "You can probably see from my eyes how happy I am. This has been a dream of mine for a very long time. When a player starts playing, representing their country as a leader is always a dream. I got the opportunity to lead India here, and I am going home with a gold medal. I am extremely happy and honestly cannot express how I feel," said Pushpa. The final proved far more testing than India's relatively comfortable earlier victories in the competition.
Iran remained within touching distance for most of the contest, forcing India to withstand sustained pressure before the champions closed out a 37-34 win. The raiding exchanges favoured India, who collected 26 out points compared to Iran's 21. Iran made up ground through the bonus count, taking eight to India's six and keeping the match finely poised into the second half.
India established a six-point cushion at half-time, leading 22-16 after the opening 15 minutes. In that period India recorded 16 out points, three bonus points and completed an All-Out. Iran stayed competitive largely by accumulating bonus points.
Momentum shifted after the restart as Iran raised their intensity and won the second half 18-15, narrowing the margin to 27-26 after completing an All-Out. Sanju Devi produced a crucial Super Raid to relieve pressure, and captain Pushpa then engineered another All-Out to help India regain control. Pooja added further points as Iran's defence showed signs of uncertainty; Iran responded with a Super Tackle and added 14 out points in the second half, but their late surge was insufficient.
"Our mindset throughout was that, no matter what happened, the match would remain in our favour. We wanted to fight until the very last moment, and we believed we would win," said Pushpa about the team's approach during the match. She also credited the squad and coaches for their role: "The biggest factor was our team unity. Whenever a match became difficult or someone came under pressure, the entire team was there to support them. Our coaches also played a huge role. They always prepared us for matches in a relaxed, fun and motivating environment and helped us go out on the mat with confidence," said Pushpa.
India held on to complete a successful defence of their crown. The victory means India have now won four out of the five Asian Games women's kabaddi golds till now.