– by Pratyusha Mukherjee, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
India continued its unbeaten campaign in the men’s kabaddi competition at the 2026 Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, producing a dominant performance to defeat Thailand 66-28 in the semi-final at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium on Friday and secure a place in the gold-medal match.
The defending champions controlled large portions of the contest, combining relentless raiding with disciplined defending to keep Thailand under sustained pressure. Devank Dalal and Arjun Deshwal led India’s attacking charge, while the defensive unit repeatedly disrupted Thailand’s attempts to build momentum.
India made a fast start, with its raiders regularly collecting bonus points and the defence maintaining a compact formation. Devank Dalal proved particularly difficult for Thailand to contain, helping India inflict an early All-Out and establish control over the opening exchanges.
Thailand, however, showed resilience and briefly threatened to shift the momentum. Supawit Somrat produced a successful back hold on Ayan Lohchab, while Theeradet Chaisit followed with a three-point Super Raid. Chaisit remained a key source of points for Thailand and later helped his side inflict an All-Out on India, bringing the contest back into closer contention.
India responded with composure. Devank Dalal and Arjun Deshwal continued to find openings in the Thai defence, steadily adding to India’s total. Despite Chaisit’s continued success on raids, India regained control as the half progressed.
A second All-Out towards the closing stages of the first half gave India another significant boost, allowing the defending champions to take a commanding 37-18 lead into the interval.
India showed no signs of easing the pressure after the restart. Devank Dalal continued his impressive attacking display, while Ayan Lohchab contributed important points to keep Thailand’s defence under constant strain. Thailand continued to rely heavily on Chaisit, who remained effective on raids, but India’s greater depth and consistency began to tell.
The Indian raiders repeatedly opened up the gap, eventually forcing another All-Out and further strengthening their grip on the semi-final.
Midway through the second half, India’s defence raised its intensity. Aslam Inamdar made valuable contributions at both ends of the mat, helping India maintain its defensive structure while also adding to the team’s attacking output.
With India continuing to score at regular intervals, Thailand struggled to find a sustained response. The defending champions combined effective raids, bonus-point collection and coordinated tackles to prevent their opponents from mounting another comeback.
India eventually closed out a comprehensive 66-28 victory, securing their passage to the Asian Games men’s kabaddi final and keeping their unbeaten record intact.
India’s 66-point tally comprised 43 points from outs, 15 bonus points and eight All-Out points. Thailand finished with 20 points from outs, five bonus points, two All-Out points and one technical point.
The victory sets up India’s final challenge for the gold medal. The defending champions will face the winner of the second semi-final between Chinese Taipei and Iran in the gold-medal match at 2:30 PM on Saturday.
With another commanding performance behind them, India now stand one victory away from completing their campaign with the ultimate prize and defending their position at the top of Asian men’s kabaddi.
