India Beat Japan 49-24 in Asian Games 2026 Kabaddi Opener

India opened its men’s kabaddi campaign at the Asian Games 2026 with a 49-24 victory over Japan in its Group A opener at Tokai Citizen Gymnasium in Aichi-Nagoya. The defending champion established control early, with Ashu Malik prominent in attack and Rahul Sethpal delivering important defensive interventions as India began its bid with a convincing result.

Japan struck first through Hiroto Chiba, who collected a bonus point on the opening raid. India responded quickly. Ayan Lochab registered the side’s first successful raid, before Rahul’s ankle hold stopped a Japanese raider and helped India take command of the early exchanges.

India builds a decisive first-half advantage

India’s attacking pressure soon created a significant gap. Ayan added another point after brushing off Kurashima’s attempt to stop him, while Ashu repeatedly found a way back across the midline. One of the defining moments of the half came when Ashu produced a Super Raid, getting three Japanese players out as India accelerated away.

Rahul and Ankit also combined to prevent Etsuki Manita from crossing the line, underlining India’s control on the defensive side. Ashu continued to contribute in attack, inviting a tackle before escaping for another point, with Kurashima sent out.

India inflicted a second all out when Yuten Kawate was stopped, extending the lead further before the interval. The supplied live account described the first half as dominant for India, highlighting Ashu’s work in attack and Rahul’s contribution in defence. Japan had begun to reduce the margin in patches, but the gap was already substantial.

India’s starting squad for the match included Arjun Deshwal, Devank, Jaideep, Rahul, Ayan, Sumit, captain Sunil Kumar, Ankit, Pawan Sehrawat, Gaurav Khatri, Aslam Inamdar and Ashu Malik. Japan’s squad included Yuta Kaneko, Tetsuro Abe, Etsuki Manita, Daiki Aratake, Hiroto Chiba, Hyuma Kurashima, Ryo Furihata, Yuten Kawate, Shoya Suzuki, Fumitaka Sato, Hiroki Natsuyoshi and Yuta Osawa.

After the break, India continued to add to its lead. Arjun opened his account with a back-leg flick, and India later brought on Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun and Aslam among the changes. Aslam then delivered a do-or-die raid that removed two Japanese players and resulted in another all out for India with around 15 minutes remaining.

Japan responds but India closes out the opener

Japan did not simply disappear from the contest in the second half. Taneko took a bonus point after freeing his leg from Ankit’s ankle-hold attempt, while Suzuki scored with a reverse toe touch. Manita also contributed, first with a toe touch from the corner and later as Japan reached 20 points. At one stage, India were reduced to three players after Japan’s scoring sequence.

Japan also produced a well-worked defensive play to bring down Aslam on a raid, showing greater resistance as the match progressed. The live account noted that the host side crossed 20 points and kept India in check during the second half, even though India had built enough of a cushion to remain in firm control.

The final result gave India a strong opening win in the group stage and maintained its unbeaten run against Japan in kabaddi, according to the match coverage. India’s men are scheduled to face Korea next, while the Indian women’s team was due to begin its own group-stage campaign against Bangladesh later in the day.