Asian Kabaddi Championship 2023 final: India takes on Iran in summit clash

India and Iran have emerged as the two best teams of the Asian Kabaddi Championship and will take each other on in the summit clash of the tournament on Friday. Here’s a look at the historic rivalry between the two nations.

The Iran vs India fixture has to be the headliner of the tournament given the legacies the two nations have in the game and their rivalry. 

After three days of action at the Asian Kabaddi Championships in Busan, it is evident that India and Iran are a cut above the rest in terms of competitive experience and skill, making their first clash in the tournament a highly anticipated one.

FOLLOW LIVE: ASIAN KABADDI CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL - INDIA VS IRAN

Pawan Sehrawat’s India will take on Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh’s Iran on Friday in a fight for much awaited international medal in the sport.

INDIA VS IRAN - RESULTS SO FAR IN THE ASIAN KABADDI CHAMPIONSHIPS

INDIA	IRAN
India beat South Korea 76-13	Iran beat Chinese Taipei 52-28
India beat Chinese Taipei 53-20	Iran beat Hong Kong 60-31
India beat Japan 62-17	Iran beat South Korea 76-13
India beat Iran 33-28	Iran lost to India 28-33
India beat Hong Kong 64-20	Iran beat Japan 70-13

Iran and India share a vibrant rivalry in the world of kabaddi. The last time these two teams faced each other was in the Asian Games semifinal in 2018, where India lost 18-27. Iran’s victory meant India failed to make the final for the first time in the tournament’s history.

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It has been five years and the international tournaments in this duration have been far and few, primarily due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fans and connoisseurs of the game have had to satiate their appetite for this rivalry primarily in the Pro Kabaddi League where a healthy number of Iranians play and, in some cases, dominate.

Iran has always been a nation to contend with in the discipline.

Iran first participated in the Asian Games -- one of, if not the most, important tournament in the sport’s ecosystem given its absence in Olympic consideration -- in 2006. It finished fourth, winning just one out of its five games.

The growth trajectory turned upward quite drastically over the next 12 years. Iran finished as runner-up in the 2010 edition in Guangzhou and the 2014 edition in Incheon.

Watch: The moment Iran beat India in the semifinal of the 2018 Asian Games

Even in the Kabaddi World Cup, these two nations have developed a healthy rivalry. Despite India winning all three editions held so far (2004, 2007, 2016) and Iran finishing runner-up, the latter has emerged as a nation constantly questioning India’s supremacy and asking probing questions of its raiders with their wrestling-influenced style of defence.

AREA OF CONCERN

Iran’s raiding doesn’t have the bite or the dynamism the Indian raiding talent pool has. Thanks to the talents churned out by the Pro Kabaddi League, India has taken a squad brimming with young but versatile raiders who are potent at multiple positions and in evading defenders of various calibre. Iran is famed for its defensive superiority but with India in its golden age in terms of raiding supremacy, it will take more than backline solidity to be able to eke out a win.

The Asian Championship in Busan is an opportunity for an evolving Iranian side to find its feet in the world of kabaddi and channel some of that aggression and drive from 2018 in their pursuit of defending their Asian Games gold medal. While the 2018 side was one filled with guns in every position, including the likes of then young talents Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Nabibakhsh and others (who don’t feature in the roster in Busan), the current setup looks like a transitioning side with head coach Gholamreza Mazandarani preferring youth and vigour over experience.

It remains to be seen if the likes of Fazel and Nabi return to the Iranian set up ahead of the Asian Games and if this is indeed a ‘B’ side that has been fielded to give the boys some time on the mat and test their pedigree.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR: HOW GHOLAMREZA USES SHADLOUI

What could give the Indians an idea of what the Iranian thinktank is planning ahead of the Asiad will be observing their use of all-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh. The 22-year-old has been a defensive powerhouse for PKL franchise Patna Pirates, with his ironclad thigh holds and ankle holds doing the job for the side consistently through the last two seasons he has been with the side. He had a breakout game against Dabang Delhi in his second year in India (the 2022 season) when he scored 19 points in total, 16 of them coming from tackles. He was his team’s highest scorer and nearly helped Patna save that fixture. Shadloui has always been eager to take more responsibility and has fielded comparisons with Fazel Atrachali - the veteran who occupied his position in the Iran lineup - head on with confidence. His utility will prove to be key in Gholamreza’s rumoured succession plan too, if the coach is planning to phase out aging players from the setup altogether.

The Iran vs India fixture has to be the headliner of the tournament given the legacies the two nations have in the game and their rivalry. A win here will be a boost for a rather comfortable-looking Indian team which is anyway primed for success at the Asiad in China later this year.

These two teams have already faced each other in the Asian Kabaddi Championship, in a fixture which was the most closely contested match of the tournament. India edged Iran by five points with India’s raiders, led by Pawan, coming to the fore. Bravery in defense, more risks in tackles, clinical raids where they can tap on India’s weak points (like perhaps, Bhainswal or Nitesh’s chain defender on the right) might hold Iran in good stead in this rematch in Busan. India meanwhile needs to find a way to match Iran’s heroics in tackles. Iran loves playing on the super tackle and if Shadloui is back energised and hoping to make up for a rather ordinary first encounter on Thursday, this will be a cracker of a game. A win will also be a shot in the arm for a nation embroiled in domestic conflict for a few years now to take a step towards ringing in the international kabaddi season with a top-of-the-podium finish.