19th Asian Games Hangzhou: Indian Women's Kabaddi team play out a frustrating 34-34 draw against Chinise Taipei
The Indian women's kabaddi team kicked off their Asian Games 2023 campaign with an exciting 34-34 draw against Chinese Taipei at Hangzhou's Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre. This marked the first-ever tie for the Indian kabaddi team, both men and women, in the Asian Games.
Unfortunately, India's women's team hasn't secured a victory in their last two matches at the continental tournament, including the final at Jakarta 2018.
Pooja Hathwala played a key role for India, a two-time women's kabaddi champion, and executed a crucial all-out in the first half. However, a remarkable comeback by 2018 bronze medalists Chinese Taipei in the second half resulted in a tie in the Group A kabaddi match.
Chinese Taipei adopted a strategy focused on earning bonus points early in the game, while India took a more cautious approach. Hsiu-Chen Feng led Chinese Taipei's efforts in the first 10 minutes, keeping India behind for most of the first half.
Nonetheless, Pooja Hathwala turned the tide in India's favor with a five-point super raid, including three raid points, allowing India to enter halftime with a two-point lead at 17-15.
India seemed to be pulling away in the second half with quick raid points in the initial five minutes. The Indian defense effectively tackled Hsiu-Chen Feng, increasing their lead to seven points at 27-20.
However, Chinese Taipei staged a comeback, utilizing multi-point raids and an all-out on India to narrow the gap. From trailing by seven points, Chinese Taipei astonishingly led India 32-30 in the closing moments.
With all Indian players back on the mat after the all-out, India regained control of the match and held a one-point lead with less than 10 seconds remaining. Chinese Taipei secured a bonus point on the final raid, resulting in a tie.
In their next match, India will face the Republic of Korea on Tuesday and play against Thailand in their final group match on Wednesday. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals on Friday. The women's kabaddi at the Asian Games 2023 will conclude with the final on Saturday.
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