Ahmedabad, Oct 27 The Indian men’s team produced a comprehensive all-round display to register a 48-20 win over Tanzania, booking a place in the semifinal of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship here on Tuesday.
The Indian team is assured of a top spot, having won all five group matches till now, with just the match against Sri Lanka remaining on Thursday.
India gave no inch to their opponents, moving ahead 3-0 in the early exchanges. In the eighth minute, India inflicted an all-out to increase their lead to double digits. The hosts maintained their ascendancy to lead 25-8 at half-time.
Indian raiders were on the mark throughout the game. India won 30 raid points compared to 15 won by their opponents. The swift movement of the Indian raiders coupled with nimble footwork left the Tanzanian defence gasping for breath.
India outscored Tanzania 10-5 in tackle points, with defenders Shubham Shinde (5 points), Deepak S (3 points) and Parvesh Bhainswal (2 points) putting on a defensive masterclass.
The Indians defended in unison, leaving Tanzanian raiders with very little chance of scoring multiple points together.
Egged on by the crowd with chants of ‘India, India,’ the hosts inflicted six all-outs on their opponents to dish out a dominating display.
Earlier, Kenyan women continued their unbeaten run, registering another emphatic victory over Scotland.
The Kenyan team defeated Scotland 61-16 in the first match on the fifth day of the competition, while Malaysian women too scored a comprehensive 62-17 triumph over their Singapore counterparts.
Kenya’s Lavenda Odhiambo continued to top the scoring charts, recording 16 points. She was ably supported by Esther Omolo with nine points, while Joy Vanessa Onyango chipped in with six points as Kenya breezed past a Scottish team that struggled in both defence and offence.
The East Africans outscored the Europeans 37-12 in raid points and 13-4 in tackle points, apart from inflicting eight all-outs in a dominant display that underlined their growing dominance in the sport.
In another match, Malaysian women outclassed Singapore 62-17, with Shamitra and Darsini scoring 17 and 12 points respectively for the winners. Sindini Anandrajan led Singapore with 11 points.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh, riding on Mijanur Rahman’s 12 points and Dipayon Golder’s 10 points, eased to a 60-28 victory over Singapore. Bangladesh enjoyed a 39-22 advantage in raid points and 13-4 in tackle points.
Canada trounced Scotland 62-30. The Canadian victory had an Indian flavour to it, with Anmol Thakur and Manpreet Singh contributing 19 and 15 points respectively to the team’s cause.
Canada outscored Scotland 37-18 in raid points and 15-9 in tackle points, as the North American nation registered their second win of the competition.
(PTI News)
