Highlights of the 2026 Asian Games | Indian kabaddi teams dominate with double gold; Sindhu, Unnati enter the rooms

Indian women’s kabaddi captain Pushpa Rana had strong faith in her raiding unit’s ability to turn the tide and kept her composure even as Iran’s aggressive play temporarily unraveled her team’s defense during their high-stakes gold medal match.

That faith was rewarded as India beat spirited Iran 37-34 to win a record fourth women’s kabaddi gold at the Asian Games, adding another chapter to their dominance since the sport’s introduction at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.

“Our raiders are excellent. So our main aim was that even if our defenders go, our raiders will be a strong side. They will always come in handy,” Rana said after the win.

The captain acknowledged that the expectation of gold brought its own pressure, especially for an Indian team that is used to dominating the continental competition.

“Yes, silver is less than gold. Because every time the Indian team has played, they have always brought gold. So the pressure is always there,” she said.

“The whole country believed that we would bring gold. All the players had that hope. We were able to apply the practice we worked hard for. Our coaches supported us so much. Our federation supported us so much,” she said.

– PTI