Practising defence from ground position in the last three weeks with top wrestlers worked wonders for Sunil Kumar, who won India's first Greco Roman medal at the Asian Games in 13 years, bagging a bronze in the 87kg category even as three of his compatriots exited the tournament here on Wednesday.
Up against Kyrgyzstan's Atabek Azisbekov, the Indian wrestler fought a strategic bout in which twice he defended well from 'par terre' position, denying his opponent a scoring opportunity from the ground position for a 2-1 win.
He kept sliding in circles on his right, not letting Azisbekov get a grip to lift him from ground.
