‘Khali pet gold jita hai’: Why Indian kabaddi team didn’t eat before Asian Games final

The Indian men’s kabaddi team had one thing on their minds ahead of the Asian Games finals – winning the gold.So much so that the players did not eat properly before their title match against Iran.“Khali pet gold jita hai,” captain Pawan Sehrawat said after India beat Iran 40-34 to retain the men’s kabaddi title at the Asian Games on Saturday.

‘Those 40 minutes were important’

India had prepared well for the final, but Pawan knew the outcome would be decided on the mat.“I was very excited about the match. I was very excited about what will happen in the match tonight. Even though we know we are playing well, we have trained well. But until the result comes, it stays in the mind. Those 40 minutes were important,” Pawan told IANS.India went into half-time trailing 17-18 but produced a strong performance in the second half to turn the game around.Arjun Deshwal and Devank Dalal led the attack while Sumit and Jaideep played an important role in the defence.

India turned the final

With 10 minutes left, India moved five points ahead after Arjun got past Iran skipper Fazel Atrachali to help India win the All-Out.Sumit then made an important save against Amirmohammad Zafar Danesh while Rahul Sethpal also made a big defensive contribution late in the match.The win completed India’s unbeaten campaign and secured their ninth Asian Games gold medal in men’s kabaddi.But for Pawan, waiting for the result made the final even more emotional.“Everybody’s emotional, so I’m emotional at times like this. And it was like, once the 40 minutes are up, we’ll have a good meal and a drink. Not just one, but when the gold comes,” he said.

Keep an eye on India’s medal tally

Pawan also revealed that the players were watching India’s position on the medal table during the Games.“We saw along the way that if our two golds are added up, where will we go? Until then, as far as I could see, we were in sixth place. And since then we have not used the mobile properly. I don’t know what number we will have in our medal table,” he said.

Gold medal dedicated to the coach

Pawan credited his coach Randhir Sehrawat for playing a major role in his success and presented him with the gold medal.“I would like to dedicate it to my coach Randhir Sehrawat. Because I got this medal because of him,” he said.He also urged the government to consider Randhir for the Dronacharya award, pointing out that several Arjuna awardees had trained under him.

“Japan made history for me”

Pawan, who was one of India’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony alongside Manu Bhaker, also spoke about his experience in Japan.“Japan is very beautiful. Japan has made history for me. I was the flag bearer. I was with such a good athlete Manu Bhaker. It is a miracle for me,” he said.