Karate Combat 45: Pakistan clinches victory over India with 2-1 victory

DUBAI: Pakistan clinched victory over India team 2-1 in closely fought matches on Saturday at the Karate Combat 45 competition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The audiences witnessed an intense face-off between the two arch-rivals. Team captain Shahzaib Rindh led the Pakistani side to a 2-1 win.

Pakistan’s Rizwan Ali faced off against India’s Pawan Gupta in the first bout. Ali quickly knocked out Gupta in the initial round, establishing Pakistan’s early lead.

Read more: F1: Wet conditions shake up Chinese Grand Prix grid

However, India retaliated in the second match, as Himanshu Kaushik managed to defeat Faizan Khan.

With the score tied at 1-1, thee victory hinged on the face-off between Shahzaib Rindh, and Rana Singh. Rindh’s relentless assaults throughout the match forced Singh into a defensive position. The strategy worked as Rindh won with a technical knockout during the Karate Combat 45.

Earlier in February, Rindh made history by achieving the fastest knockout in Karate Combat 44 in Mexico City, where he defeated Marco Cubas of Peru within 21 seconds during the first round.

Read more: Mohammad Rizwan likely to be appointed as Pakistan T20I team vice-captain

However, the current tournament was not without controversy – Rindh was involved in an altercation with Rana during a press conference the day before the competition. A video of Rindh slapping Rana circulated widely on social media.