India were upset by a resurgent South Korean outfit, led by their talisman Jan Kun Lee, who took 13 points from the last five minutes to upset the hosts 34-32 in the Kabaddi World Cup opener. India were in the lead for a major part of the game but Korea breathed fire just as the host's raiders sat back towards the final stages of the second half.

India knew they were in for a tough fight and it was Korea who went into the lead in the early stages of the game. With the scores at 9-all, India launched a comeback with defender Dharamaraj Cheralathan getting several crucial tackles. Anup Kumar got the first Super Raid of the tournament and Rahul Choudhari immediately got into the game with a Super Raid immediately after coming on.

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India's defense improved as the half progressed and they kept danger man Jan Kung-Lee quiet during this phase. The Korean only got a solitary point from his first six-seven raids.

Pardeep Narwal, just moments after coming on, had to make a do-or-die raid and the Indian passed the test in flying colours, using his athleticism to jump over the Korean defenders and get to his half.

Korea's resurgence started late in the first half, stringing three points together before the break. Despite training India by five points at 13-18, it was Hong Dong Ju's side who left with a slight psychological advantage.

It was during the final minutes that wheels began to fall off for India. Choudhari failed to land his raids and even skipper Anup Kumar was a subdued figure. Jan Kung Lee roared back into the contest, and the Korean chain was impregnable in the final stages. India simply couldn't stop Lee during the raids, which proved to be the hosts' nemesis on the context of the game. India just got 17 raid points to Korea's 20. This was the first time Korea won against the defending champions, and there couldn't have been a better occasion to do it.