Asian Games 2026: India's men's kabaddi team maintain unbeaten run, defeat Chinese Taipei 37-21 to top group

Ahead of the September 25 semi-final, the message India's men's kabaddi team wanted to send was perhaps deeper than the scoreboard. The 37-21 victory over Chinese Taipei was not merely a group-stage result — it was a lesson in tactical control, where India were never all-out themselves, yet all-out'd their opponents three times. Kabaddi, a sport stretching from Bangladesh's village mudfields to India's professional league, demands understanding of its core structure. A raider must enter the opponent's half and return safely within 30 seconds, chanting 'kabaddi' continuously — the cant — proving he is not inhaling. When all seven players of one side are ruled out, the opposition earns 2 points in an all-out, and the wiped team revives with seven players. The bonus line — a line deep in the opponent's half — awards 1 point if crossed while the defending side has six or more players on court. Under analysis, 6 of India's 37 points came from three all-outs — roughly 16 percent of their total. The remaining 28 points came from touches and tackles, with only 3 bonus points. This means India's raiding was attack-oriented, not conservative bonus accumulation. In contrast, 9 of Chinese Taipei's 21 points (about 43 percent) came from the bonus line — a signature of a team unable to penetrate a stronger defense, choosing the low-risk path. The first half alone produced 34 points — 23-11 — a fast, high-scoring half. Aslam Inamdar and Rahul Sethpal marshalled India's right corner, with Sethpal's ankle-hold tackles establishing early control. In the second half, Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab were introduced 'to find touches and maintain the advantage' — a clear signal that India were managing workload ahead of the semi-final. Chinese Taipei's Chung-mao Chang produced one significant ankle hold, their only notable resistance during a comeback attempt. The question now: is a 16-point margin a true benchmark of India's gold-medal readiness? From my years of watching matches, a group-stage win over a catch-up-tier side is structurally low-information. India's defense never collapsed — they were never all-out — a genuinely positive sign. But with 43 percent of Chinese Taipei's score coming from the bonus line, India's defense adopted a contain-first posture rather than deep tackles. This is control, not total dominance. A subtler problem emerges too. India conceded two super tackles — meaning their raiders got caught when Chinese Taipei had three or fewer defenders on court, a situation where a point and often an all-out is expected. These two conceded super tackles reveal a small but real efficiency leak in finishing discipline. Against Iran's stronger defense in the semi-final, these lapses could cost more. In international kabaddi's structure, India remains the single top power, with Iran the only genuine challenger. Chinese Taipei belong to the catch-up tier — their tactic is 'survive, don't win'. An East Asian nation outside South Asia scoring 21 points with two super tackles against India's corner pairing — that is a small but genuine internationalization data point. But it is not a revolution; since I began covering international tournaments in 2026, I have seen that such group wins do not challenge India's 'gold or bust' cultural expectation. The contrarian truth here: India's unbeaten group run is the headline, but the real story is Chinese Taipei's 21 points. It means kabaddi is no longer purely an India-Iran duopoly — the map is slowly expanding. Meanwhile, India's biggest risk is this 'flattering margin' — mistaking a 16-point win over a bonus-line-reliant opponent for gold-medal certainty. The semi-final is the true measuring stick. Will India field a full-strength side on September 25, or persist with the rotated squad? Introducing new faces like Devank Dalal in the second half suggests a team preparing for the knockouts. Five days ago, while building the data-thread for this match at a Bangalore bedroom desk, one thing became clear — more important than the 'unbeaten' headline is the 'how' of victory. That line of inquiry must be followed. The 37-21 scoreline is history for one night; but the two super tackles conceded, the 43-percent-bonus-dependent opponent, and the second-half rotation paint the real picture of India's semi-final readiness. Chinese Taipei were a step on the road to gold, and the rest of the staircase remains in darkness. Next Friday will bring it into light.