India had knocked down the Persian nation thrice (twice in men’s and once in women’s) from finishing on top of the podium at the continental event. While the men’s team got the better of its opponent in 2010 and 2014, the girls overpowered their opponents in 2014 in Incheon. Apart from it, Indian men have frustrated the Iranians by defeating them in all three World Cup finals that have been held till date.

 

Iran fell multiple times in big events and had a mountain to climb. Steady rise and consistent performances over the years made it a powerhouse in the sport. It did everything possible, which included a calculated loss to lower-ranked Poland, to set up a final clash with India in the Kabaddi WC for men in 2016.

Despite leading by five points during the break, it succumbed under pressure and eventually bowed out with silver. Ahead of the Asiad, the Iran men’s team, coached by Gholamreza Mazandarani, once again showed its tactical astuteness by dropping some of its senior players from the squad for the Kabaddi Masters Dubai tournament.

       

It turned out to be a major coup as its defence caused much carnage at the Asiad and threw India of the competition for the first time since 1990. Likewise, the women’s team matched its male compatriots, inflicting a major blow, to clinch gold.

World Cup winning coach and former Asian Games gold medalist Kasinathan Baskaran was of the opinion that Iranians made best use of the technology that was on offer and benefitted from it. “They are very strong in video analysis, which helps them improve their game. They have been doing it systematically as well,” said Baskaran in an exclusive chat with DT Next.

  

“When I was with the Indian team, the Iranians used to have two to three people shooting videos from different parts of the arena. They play those videos to the players again and again and devise new strategies,” added the 50-year-old.

   

The participation of Iranian men has been gradually increasing as the Pro Kabaddi League seasons have gone by. One of their pillars, Fazel Atrachali, became the first foreign player to breach the Rs 1 crore mark in PKL history. “Iranian players have developed a lot technically and tactically after being a part of PKL.”

    

Commenting on what forced Indian women to settle for silver on Friday, he remarked, “The raiders kept on doing the same movement throughout the match and got tackled on many occasions. But, that wasn’t the case with Iran. We weren’t able to predict their moves and they offered different styles of play.”

 

There were a few controversial decisions from the match officials during the women’s final, which included a shirt pull and a failure to spot a touch in India’s favour. Asked if that had an impact on the result, the former Tamil Thalaivas head coach asserted, “Both teams had a few bad calls. Since the game is so quick, they go by with what they feel is right at that moment. No jury is biased and gives decisions in favour of a team.”

“India was under pressure as it had a lot resting on its shoulders. The men’s team went down to Iran on Thursday and it was a kind of a boost for their women. They had nothing to lose but they played with confidence,” he added.