HANGZHOU: Controversy marred India vs Iran men's kabaddi final after a contentious do-or-die raid in the dying minutes of the title clash, which resulted in the competition being suspended for over an hour.
With one minute and five seconds left on the clock and the tie locked at 28-28, India captain Pawan Sehrawat went in for a raid against the five Iranian players. He went into the lobby (a one-metre wide strip along the inside area of the court, considered active only when contact has been made between the raider and a defender) without a touch, with three Iranian players entering the danger zone looking to tackle him down.
As Pawan indicated to the referees that he hadn't touched any defender before heading into the lobby, three points should be awarded to India for the rule breach by Iranians, who wrongly entered the lobby.
What followed was absolute chaos and confusion. The referees, umpires and judges, went into a huddle and decided that a point-each should be awarded to two teams. It led to protest by Indian coaching staff and players, who sat on the mat disputing the referees' decision and refusing to play.
The Indians asked for a video review, following which the original decision was overturned and three points were awarded to India and one point to Iran. This time, the Iranians turned on the heat on competition officials for what they called "cheating" and launched a protest for awarding three points to Indians.
Their captain, Fazel Atrachali, came off the bench to lead his players out of the playing arena. As the protest continued, the referees and judges again went for more replays of Sehrawat's raid and the subsequent infringement of the lobby line by the three Iranians. In a flip-flop, they again restored their original decision and awarded one point-each.
The Indians, clearly not amused by the turn of events, again started their protest with coach Edicherry Bhaskaran asking his players to sit on the mat. Later, the Indian team circled around the referees demanding that three points be awarded to them, threatening to stage a walkout. With the situation getting ugly, the Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation (AAKF) officials were summoned and they decided that one point should be given to each team. The Indians refused to relent and continued with their protest.
After another round of discussion, the referees and judges again did a volte-face and awarded three points to India. This led to more drama as the Iranians cried foul. However, after hectic parlays between the officials and coaches involving the teams, the Iranians reluctantly agreed to resume proceedings.
Indian women fight hard to get the better of Chinese Taipei, win gold
In a nail-biting contest, Indian women's team prevailed over Chinese Taipei 26-25 to claim its third gold in Games history. The Indians trailed their opponents by two points in the second half but came back strongly to win the nerve-wrecking final.
Pooja Hathwala and Pushpa Rana were the star performers for India. India led 14-9 at half-time and scored six quick points at the start of the second half. However, Taipei mounted a strong comeback and cut the deficit to two points. But India remained on course and managed a narrow win after successful raids from Rana.
