India suffer first kabaddi defeat

JAKARTA: India’s men suffered their first ever kabaddi defeat at the Asian Games when they slumped 24-23 to South Korea in a group match on Monday.

The seven-time champions beat both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Sunday to stamp their authority but they met their match in South Korea, ending a run of 32 straight wins.India have only lost once before in the home-grown, breath-holding sport, after they went down to the same opponents at the 2016 World Cup.

“What a massive upset. South Korea beats India in men’s Kabaddi @asiangames2018 24-23. Indians looked a bit complacent,” former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha said on Twitter.

Kabaddi, an ancient sport rooted in Indian mythology, made its Asian Games debut in Beijing in 1990.The game requires yoga-like breathing skills as two seven-player teams send a raider into enemy territory to tag an opponent before returning to safety, all on one breath.