DUBAI: With the Indian team going through a phase of transition, they are looking to test the waters ahead of the 2018 Asian Games at the Kabaddi Masters Dubai, which begins on Friday. Ajay Thakur will lead India in the six-nation tournament that features Asian rivals — Pakistan, South Korea and Iran — as well as Kenya and Argentina.
World champions India will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan, who have bounced back in the past few months. Though the country has lost its foothold in the Asian kabaddi scene, especially with their players not allowed to participate in the lucrative Pro Kabaddi League, they sprung a surprise last November by defeating Iran in the semifinal of the Asian Championships. They eventually lost to India in the final but are showing signs of revival.
Indian kabaddi, meanwhile, now has a sheen of money and glamour. Fresh from the PKL auctions, which saw raider Monu Goyat fetch a record bid of Rs 1.52 crore from the Haryana Steelers and five others earn a crore and more, the players will now slip into the national jersey. Goyat, 25, will be making his first appearance for India.
He is one of the most prominent young faces in the team, which also features first-timer Rishank Devadiga and Raju Lal Choudhary. Two of India’s mainstays over the past few years, Rakesh Kumar — who was the captain of India’s gold-medal winning 2014 Asian Games team — and Anup Kumar have left the scene.
But India still have a few experienced hands like captain Thakur and all-rounder Manjeet Chillar and will once again be the team to beat.