Kabaddi captain confident ahead of Masters Cup

KARACHI: Pakistan’s kabaddi captain Nasir Ali on Thursday said that they would try to beat India in both the group matches of the six-nation Kabaddi Masters Cup 2018, which will begin at the Al Wasl Stadium in Dubai from June 22.

“Yes, India are tough but we can beat them,” Nasir told ‘The News’ in an interview. “We will try to win both group matches against them to finish as group winners.“We have already won matches against India in the Asia Cup and Asian Beach Games in Vietnam and know their strength well,” said Nasir, who has also the experience of playing in India’s Pro Kabaddi League.

In the nine-day event which will conclude on June 30, Pakistan and India have been clubbed in Group A with little known Kenya. Iran, Korea and Argentina have been bracketed in Group B.

The winners of Group A will face the runners-up of Group B in the semi-finals. It means the Group A winners will face South Korea who are most likely to finish as the group runners-up as the 2014 Incheon Asian Games runners-up Iran are a strong side in their group.

The Group A is highly unpredictable as close fights are expected between Pakistan and India who are the strongest two in the world. The tournament being held by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) will open with the clash between Pakistan and India on June 22. They will meet again on June 25.

Pakistan-Kenya matches will be held on June 24 and June 27. The semi-finals will be held on June 29. Nasir claimed Pakistan have a balanced combination. “We are a balanced side. We have strong defence. In our attack too some fine youngsters have been brought in from the Super Kabaddi League (SKL). Most of our experienced players have been playing against India for the last 10 to 15 years and I hope it will be a good tournament for us,” the captain said.

It is expected that big crowds will turn up to witness Pakistan-India matches as a large number of Pakistanis and Indians reside in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).The Asian-style event will be a test for Pakistan ahead of the World Cup which IKF plans to hold in the UAE in 2019.

If the Masters Cup 2018 is able to attract large crowds, it will strengthen the IKF resolve to go for the biggest show at the same place next year. Masters Cup is going to be hold at a time when Asian Games are just two months away and Nasir said it would benefit Pakistan and other Asian nations. “It will really help us and other Asian states to prepare for the Asian Games,” Nasir said.

National players will take only a couple of days off for Eid-ul-Fitr before assembling for practice at Lahore. The team is scheduled to fly out for Dubai on June 20. Pakistan team trained at Lahore for ten days after the SKL. “We did a good practice for ten days and will get two or three more days after Eid,” Nasir said.

Schedule: June 22: India v Pakistan, Iran v Korea, June 23: Iran v Argentina, India v Kenya, June 24: Korea v Argentina, Pakistan v Kenya, June 25: Iran v Korea, Pakistan v India, June 26: Iran v Argentina, India v Kenya, June 27: Korea v Argentina, Pakistan v Kenya, June 28: Rest Day, June 29: Semi-finals, June 30: Final