There was a point in the women's kabaddi final when, with India leading 19-17 and around three minutes left on the clock, India's captain Ritu Negi stepped out and conceded an All-Out to Chinese Taipei. That one movement handed over a two-point lead at a crucial moment and almost cost India the match.
India recovered brilliantly to win the match, and the gold, 25-24, but that unexpected and untypical error from one of the team's most senior players was symptomatic of a larger problem facing Indian women kabaddi players: The sheer lack of top-flight tournaments, exposure and opportunities.
This was India's third women's kabaddi gold in four Asian Games but the success papers over the state of kabaddi in a country where the value of the men's sport has skyrocketed but the women's sport is yet to even find a launching pad to take off. The players have stepped up and delivered but the system, as always, has done little to help them grow.
India win men's kabaddi gold after controversial final against Iran involving one hour stoppage
It's no exaggeration to say that the players who won this gold are almost totally unknown -- even to those who work in sports administration in India. Try looking up Pooja Hathvala or Pushpa Rani online and you'll get zero results. Outside the kabaddi heartlands of Haryana and Maharashtra, these two names will remain unknown. Pooja, an excellent raider, was India's find of the Asian Games while Pushpa is one of the best all-rounders in Indian kabaddi. Take the names of their male counterparts and you'll find links to their profiles, previous matches, stats, and other information.
Against Chinese Taipei, the inexperience and lack of big-match and clutch scenarios were seen through the team. The Indian defenders were jumpy and uncertain and made unforced errors to complicate what could have been an easy-on-the-nerves win. India's defenders, on three occasions, stepped out of bounds to give away easy points, with the last one resulting in Chinese Taipei taking the lead with less than three minutes to go.
Pooja, one of the youngest in the team, was brilliant all through the tournament and was India's go-to raider, but slipped up in the final when she stepped out of bounds and not only gave away a point but also got herself eliminated.
Systemic reforms needed
While the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), the world's biggest kabaddi league, was launched in 2014 to promote the sport, there's no equivalent for women's kabaddi. The men have become superstars, are on primetime television every night for three months and, importantly, are compensated for that.
The men's captain, Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, was PKL's most expensive player when he was signed with Tamil Thalaivas for Rs 2.26 crore, and part of several endorsements. In fact, he was the only kabaddi player to be featured in an advertisement for a sports drink made by Limca, which featured athletes such as Neeraj Chopra, Nikhat Zareen and Savita Punia.
The women have not been as fortunate to even get a percentage of that kind of reach. The last time the organizers of the PKL held a women's tournament - a three-team exhibition tournament - was over half a decade ago. Franchise owners such as Abhishek Bachchan, who owns reigning PKL champions Jaipur Pink Panthers, have publicly expressed their interest in hosting a women's PKL and the PKL organizers have said they were exploring the possibility of a women's tournament.
Even when it comes to the national team, the last time the Indian women played was back in 2019 when they won the South Asian Games. While the men's team played and won the Asian Kabaddi Championships in June, the women have not had any international matches in four years. Even the Iranian kabaddi women's team flew to India for two weeks to train and prepare for the Asian Games, but the Indian team had nothing of that sort.
So, what tournaments do the women play in? The senior nationals, inter-state tournaments, inter-services tournaments and age-group Khelo India competitions. None of these other than the Khelo games are shown on television or any form of mainstream media.
And that's why, unless you scour through endless streams on YouTube, you will not see the Indian women's kabaddi players on your screens again until the 2026 Asian Games. By then, a couple of the players such as Ritu, Priyanka Palania and Snehal Shinde might not even be around.
Meanwhile, since you probably won't find any information on the Indian team elsewhere, here's a basic fact-file:
Ritu Negi: Right corner and captain - Has an excellent dash and is a very powerful defender. Was part of the 2018 squad as well.
Nidhi Sharma: Raider - Not known for speed, but has really good escaping ability and power.
Pushpa Rana: All Rounder - Plays as a left cover traditionally, but can raid extremely well.
Sakshi Kumari: Defender - Plays as the left corner. Has a great ankle hold.
Pooja Hathwala: Raider. India's #1 women's raider. Has lightning-quick feet and an excellent running hand touch.
Priyanka Palania: Defender. Can play in the centre as well as the right cover? She was in the 2018 squad.
Jyoti: All Rounder. Plays for Himachal Pradesh.
Akshima: Raider. Young raider from Jharkhand who made her Asian Games debut.
Snehal Shinde: All Rounder from Maharashtra, was one of the four members of the 2018 squad.
Pooja Narwal: Raider. Plays for the Indian Railways.
Sushma Sharma: Raider. Plays for Himachal Pradesh.
Muskan Malik: All Rounder. Plays for Haryana.