India thrash Pak in Kabaddi Masters

DUBAI: Favourites India began their campaign on a rousing note crushing arch-rivals Pakistan 36-20 in the inaugural Kabaddi Masters Championship, here on Friday evening. At the packed Al-Wasl Sports Complex, Indian skipper Ajay Thakur's brilliance found India opening up a commendable 22-9 lead at the break and there was no looking back. Thakur scored 15 raid points and was equally strong in tackle which fetched the team 12 more points. It was a clinical performance by India in the first-half of that opening game. After a rather sedate start for the first 10 minutes, the Indian team switched gears to completely destabilise Pakistan, taking a 13-point lead at the half-time. Giving full credit to Thakur for his incisive raids, India coach Srinivas Reddy said: "He broke both their corners and dismantled their defence early on."