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Indian men's team clinched gold at the 19th Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, the Republic of China on October 7, Saturday. The Indian team thrashed previous champions Iran 33-29 for a top podium finish in a drama-filled finale of the continental multi-sport event. As the match approached its end, a slight judgement error became the reason for over 60-minute delay. However, the outcome of the match was decided by a narrow margin, where the eight-time champions clinched the yellow metal by four points.
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Pawan Sehrawat and Co. took on arch-rivals Pakistan in the semifinals and defeated the neighbours 61-14 in a one-sided contest.
In the previous edition, Iran had shattered India's dream of winning gold by defeating them in the semifinals. In this season, both the teams made it to the top two with consistent wins in the entire tournament.
Speaking of the controversy filled match, the gold medal match was suspended for more than an hour during a do-or-die raid over the lobby rule. The issue happened in the dying moments of the clash, when there were exactly 1.3 minutes left on the clock.
After a series of dramatic turns, the officials ruled the decision in favour of the Indians, and they were granted three points by the officials. After two raids and a minute later, Indians won their eighth gold medal in men's kabaddi at the Asian Games.
