"This is a great evening for Ajay Thakur and for India."
India were crowned the 2016 indoor Kabaddi World Cup champions after defeating Iran 38-29 in the final.
The sixteen-day tournament from 07 to 22 October 2016 was organised by the International Kabaddi Federation.
By winning their 3rd consecutive title in Ahmedabad, India confirmed their dominance in this age old sport.
The two time defending champions India went into this match as favourites. However it was Iran who controlled the first half.
Both teams came into the final having lost one match. India had lost to South Korea 32-34, whilst Iran losing to Poland 25-41.
The stakes were higher for Iran as they had never beaten India in a major final.
Determined to make up for the last minute loss against India at the 2014 South Asian Games in Incheon, Iran took an 18-13 lead at the halfway point.
Watch highlights of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup final here:
India came back strongly in the second half as they started to turn things in their favour.
Thus the five-point deficit at half time was converted into a five-point lead for the Men in Blue.
With terrific support from the home crowd, along with experience on the big stage, India eventually clinched their third title in a row.
This was India’s first major title after a gap of nine years. With this victory, India crowned themselves champions of the mat.
Captain Ajay Thakur was the star for India as he claimed twelve points, which also included a crucial ninth point in the 29th minute.
Nitin Tomar from the bench also picked up six points for team India.
Congratulatory messages poured in via social media sites such as Twitter. Cricketer Yusuf Pathan was first to express his delight saying:
“Good win India that was a complete team effort and super Energy from fans#Championindia#2016KabaddiWorldCup.”
Praising skipper Ajay Thakur, cricket commentator and analyst Harsha Bhogle also came to the party as he said:
“This is a great evening for Ajay Thakur and for India. Wonderful evening. This is coming home. #2016KabaddiWorldCup.”
India has never lost a major Kabaddi final at the World Cup, Asian Games and SAF Games.
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