India came back from 13-18 down at halftime to beat Iran 38-29 in the final of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup on Saturday. India thereby won their third World Cup in a row. In all three finals, they have beaten the same team. Raider Ajay Thakur was the star for India, registering his fifth Super 10 in a row.
The Indian raiders, for all their fluency against Thailand in the semi-final, struggled to score against a water-tight Iranian defence in the first half. Iran, meanwhile, slowly pegged away and accumulated the points. Captain Meraj Sheykh was at his best, sending two Indians to the bench during one raid.
Iran eventually registered the first all-out of the match, which won them a 16-12 lead with less than two minutes to go in the first half. At the end of the first 20 minutes, Iran had an 18-13 lead and things were looking ominous for the favourites, India.
Luckily for the home fans, India sparked an inspired performance in the second half, with Thakur leading the way. India won eight out of the first 10 points of the half to take a 21-20 lead, before Thakur helped the hosts register their first all-out to make it 24-21 with just over 10 minutes to go.
Thakur soon registered a Super 10 to make it 26-21 to India. Even the home team's defence stepped it up a gear, as Iran were completely shut out. India soon got their second all-out, with Thakur again leading the way, and with that the hosts had a comprehensive 34-24 lead with less than four minutes left on the clock. India then closed out the match 38-29 to win their third World Cup.
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