Kabaddi World Cup | How India can come back from the defeat to Korea

India succumbed to a 32-34 loss to South Korea in their first game of the tournament after claiming that Iran were the only team capable of hurting them in the build-up to the tournament. For most people, it was a shock result, but avid followers of the sport will tell you the signs were all there. Here we will analyze the major errors in the lead-up to India's downfall.

Let's start with what was the bigger error in the game - the team selection for the tournament. How PKL season-3 MVP Rohit Kumar did not make the 14-man squad was utterly baffling when the squad was announced, and the decision might come back to haunt India as the tournament progresses.

Another major blunder was the selection of Jasvir and Anup in the same team. While both players are exceptionally talented, they are very similar in their style of play. Both players specialize in controlling the tempo of the game, understanding when the pace needs to be picked up and when you need to slow things down.

Anup will always be the better player in this role, and therefore playing Jasvir was a place wasted in the starting lineup. Jasvir attempted six raids during the game returning empty handed five times and was unsuccessful in the other one. Anup, on the other hand, had 15 attempts at raiding returning without impacting the scoreboard eight times, but he did score 8 points through raids alone.

Tactical naivete

Coming back to the game, after an uninspiring first-half, India still found themselves 18-13 to the good. Until the 31st minute, India had a decent 23-17 lead. After that, however, everything just fell apart. Whether it was the brilliance of South Korea or just amateurish defending on India's part that led to the change in the tide is a close call.

In the raids that followed, Dong Geon Lee tried the exact same maneuver and came out on top earning two points for his team and leaving India with just one player on the mat. At the highest level, such tactical errors will be punished sooner than later.

Mohit Chhillar became the most expensive player in the PKL when he signed for the Bengaluru Bulls for an incredible Rs. 53 lakhs. There is no doubting his talent but after the disastrous performance against the Koreans, I would be surprised if he is not replaced by Sandeep Narwal. Mohit attempted just ONE tackle in the entire game, and that too was unsuccessful.

Someone needs to take some of the pressure off Anup's shoulders

Anup Kumar effected 2 ankle holds in the first-half and accumulated a total of 9 points which, on any normal day, would have been a good return, but the inability of the other raiders (Rahul & Jasvir) meant that Anup's effort went in vain. Towards the end, he was under immense pressure to try risky moves while raiding.

The defeat is by no means an irreparable blow to the campaign. India still can easily make it to the knock-outs. The only difference now WILL be that we will be playing the strong Iranian team in the semifinals instead of the finals.