JOIN USKarnataka men overcame a slow start to thump Andhra Pradesh 40-10 and qualify for the pre-quarterfinals in the 63rd Senior National Kabaddi Championship at the Malleswaram grounds here on Friday.
Both sides concentrated on their defending during the first few minutes as the game took a while to gather pace.
Sukesh Hegde and Prashanth Rai failed with their initial few raids but the defence did their job as Karnataka took time to settle into a rhythm.
Hegde then started doing what he does best, scoring freely with his raids and, at one stage, bagged seven points from two raids.
The defensive trio of BS Santosh, Jeeva Kumar and Rajaguru were rock solid as Andhra's raiders Harathi Vadan and P Manikanta were stifled on each raid.
With every department firing on all cylinders, Karnataka went into the break with a comfortable 25-6 lead.
In the second half, Hegde continued to enthral everyone present with his fine footwork and evading capabilities.
The game was stopped for a short while as a light pole malfunctioned causing a minor fire. Fortunately, the organisers were alert and doused the fire, which could have put the audience in risk of serious harm.
After the restart, Karnataka slowed their pace but were tactically compact as they coasted home. Hegde top scored, collecting 13 points in 16 raids.
In an earlier fixture, Karnataka women had it easy as they drubbed Assam 44-16.
Assam had no answers to Divya and Navya's raids as they bagged an impressive 11 points each.
The real dangers of kabaddi were exposed when Assam’s Bhanita Bora collapsed after a tackle during her side's fixture against BAKA.
Bora was immediately given first aid but since there were complications with her breathing, she was rushed to the nearby KC General hospital.
“She is fine now, the doctors did an ECG and X-rays just to be safe and it was normal,” said a player from the Assam men's team. She was discharged from the hospital later in the night.
DH News Service
Results: Men: Group A: Tamil Nadu bt Jharkhand 69-24; Jharkhand bt Jammu and Kashmir 46-44; Group B: Gujarat bt Vidarbha 45-44; Himachal Pradesh bt Manipur 42-19; Himachal Pradesh bt Vidarbha 53-22; Group C: Puducherry bt Chhattisgarh 37-33; Group D: Telangana bt Bihar 37-8; Group E: Karnataka bt Andhra Pradesh 40-10; Uttarakhand bt West Bengal (state unit) 46-27; Uttarakhand bt Maharashtra 19-17; BAKA bt BSNL 41-35; Group F: Indian Railway bt Tripura 49-17; Delhi bt Goa 25-19; Delhi bt Chandigarh 37-28; Madhya Pradesh bt Chandigarh 38-12.
Women: Group A: Andhra Pradesh bt Vidarbha 41-21; Group B: Kerala bt Odisha 40-15; Odisha bt Jammu and Kashmir 44-5; Odisha bt Chhattisgarh 38-34; Group C: Himachal Pradesh bt Telangana 49-21; Uttar Pradesh bt Puducherry 66-14; Uttar Pradesh bt Telangana 33-16; Group D: Bihar bt Goa 23-14; Group F: Karnataka bt Assam 44-16; BAKA bt Assam 37-22; Chandigarh bt Karnataka 36-20.