Girls failed to cope with pressure: Ex-World Cup star Bartakke

Suvarna Bartakke

India women's kabaddi 2012 World Cup-winning captain Suvarna Bartakke felt the defending champions failed to cope with the pressure during their 24-27 loss to Iran at the Asian Games final in Jakarta yesterday.

"I have played at that level and can understand the pressure they had to deal with. Our raiders failed to earn points frequently. Their defenders performed brilliantly and applied tremendous pressure on us," Bartakke told mid-day yesterday.

"Iran played with three experienced players, who were part of the team when we beat them in the 2012 World Cup final. Our Haryana girl, Sakshi Kumari is a brilliant all-rounder, but they have not used her expertise to the fullest. There were a few technical points that went against us. If those decisions were made correctly, then it could have made a difference," she added.

Abhilasha Mhatre, who was part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2014 Incheon Games, said: "I have always witnessed our flag being on top, but today, I was really sad to see it lowered."

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