India Dominates South Korea in Kabaddi at Asian Games

The Indian men’s kabaddi team barely broke stride. South Korea were swept aside 63-31 in a ruthless Group A display on Tuesday, a result that underlined why India arrived at these Asian Games as defending champions and heavy favourites.

This was a statement, not a contest. Raid after raid, tackle after tackle, India’s advantage grew, the scoreboard turning lopsided long before the final whistle. Two games, two commanding wins, and India sit comfortably on top of Group A.

The schedule offers no time for celebration. Bangladesh await on Wednesday, Chinese Taipei on Thursday in the final group fixture. On this evidence, both will need something extraordinary just to keep the score respectable.

Women’s Team

The women’s team, quietly efficient so far, step into a sterner examination next. They face Iran in their second Group A match on Wednesday, having opened with a win over Bangladesh on Monday. That first outing settled the nerves; Iran will test the resolve.

Across the Games, India’s day was scattered with near-misses and hard lessons.

Shooting

In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane rode a wave of expectation into the 10m air rifle mixed team final, only to see it break too early. After a sharp qualification round of 634.6 that put them among the top four, the pair never quite found the same rhythm in the final. China, South Korea and Japan pulled away as India’s challenge faded, Valarivan and Mane eventually bowing out in fourth with 376.3, trailing the field throughout.

Their path to the final had promised more. China’s Wang Zifei and Sheng Lihao had lit up qualification with a world record 638.9, setting a fierce standard. India stayed in touch in the morning; under final pressure, the gap became stark.

Fencing

On another firing line, two young Indian fencers took their first steps into the knockout rounds. In the men’s foil individual event, Hemash Sanasam and Sachin each posted three wins and two losses in their pools, enough to push them into the round of 32. Both finished fourth in their respective groups, a mixed return that still keeps them alive in the draw.

The next test is a Kazakh double. Hemash faces Galim Nurumov, Sachin meets Timofey Semyonov. For India, these bouts will say a lot about how quickly their foil fencers can bridge the gap to Asia’s established powers. In women’s epee, Taniksha Khatri and Mitva Jesangbhai Chaudhari remain in the fray, searching for their own breakthrough.

Karate

Karate brought one of the day’s sharpest stings. In the men’s Kumite 84kg category, Chetan Bhatt walked into the bronze medal playoff with a chance to salvage his campaign after a heavy 0-8 semifinal defeat to Jordan’s Mohammad Aljafari at the Toyohashi Gymnasium. Against Chinese Taipei’s Meng-yu Chung, Bhatt fought the bout to a 1-1 stalemate, both scoring one Yuko.

The smallest detail decided it. Chung claimed bronze on Senshu, rewarded for striking the first point. Bhatt, level on the scoreboard but edged by the rulebook, left with heartbreak instead of hardware.

Beyond the podium battles, the Games continued to sprawl across disciplines. Indian athletes spread out through boxing, wushu, hockey, swimming, equestrian, soft tennis, table tennis and even esports, while skeet shooters and rifle specialists cycled through their qualification rounds, chasing finals and fighting the clock.

The day ended as it began for India: with the sense of a country competing on multiple fronts, some campaigns cruising, others clinging on. Kabaddi looks ominous, almost inevitable. Shooting and combat sports, for now, are lessons in how thin the margins can be when medals are on the line.