Tokai: “Vande Mataram” chants reverberated around the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium on Saturday as Indian fans rallied behind the kabaddi teams. The majority of the supporters were Indians, including badminton doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, but spectators from across the region, from Nepal to Japan, also joined in cheering for India.The teams did not disappoint.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal TallyFirst, the women and then the men battled past Iran to successfully defend their Asian Games gold medals.In the afternoon, the women held off a spirited Iranian challenge 37-34 before the men took centre stage and completed the double with a 40-34 victory. The men’s clash between the Asian rivals panned out along expected lines, with Iran arriving determined to halt India’s march to another gold. India, however, held its nerve when it mattered to keep its title intact.The final was a closely fought affair, with both teams exchanging points in a tense opening half. India raised the tempo after the break.
Women to the fore
The Indian women thrived on the strength of their raiders. With Iran’s left defence proving to be the weaker link, the Indians repeatedly exploited the flank to keep the pressure on their opponents.Going into the break, India had taken a 22-16 lead, but the Iranian women fought back in the second half, earning three points more than India’s 15. However, that proved to be too little too late.“We came here with the aim of taking the gold back and we have delivered as a team,” said skipper Pushpa Rana.