Asian Games: India women's kabaddi team routs South Korea 56-23

HANGZHOU: The Indian women's kabaddi team registered its first win at the Asian Games as they defeated South Korea 56-23 at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre in Hangzhou on Tuesday.

After a muted first-group match in which they were held to a draw by the Chinese Taipei, the Kabaddi women's team bounced back strongly defeating South Korea by a big margin. India will take on Thailand in their final group match on Wednesday.

For India, Pooja Hathwala and Pushpa were the top raiders scoring a super 10 each, while captain Ritu Negi was the star defender inflicting five all-outs.

India opted for an aggressive approach in a match against South Korea with their first all-out within five minutes. Pooja Hathwala, Pushpa and Nidhi Sharma contributed with successful raids as India raced to an 11-2 lead.

India imposed three all-outs on South Korea in the first half and went into the break with a healthy lead of 23 points at 32-9. South Korea started the second half with their defence taking down Pushpa and Pooja Hathwala in the opening minutes. However, the Indians' raiding duo was soon back on the pitch.

Ultimately, India foisted two more all-outs on Korea to triumph in the crucial encounter by a margin of 33 points.