Kabaddi Dominance: India's Unbeaten Record

The question asks for the correct word to complete the sentence about India's historical performance in kabaddi before Iran became a major competitor. The sentence structure implies a passive voice, indicating that India had not experienced being beaten.

Grammatical Analysis

• The sentence requires a past participle to fit the passive construction "had never been ______".
• India is the subject, and the missing word describes the state India was in relative to opponents.

Option Evaluation

• Option 1: defeated - This is the past participle of 'defeat'. "India had never been defeated" means India had never lost a match. This fits the context and grammar perfectly.
• Option 2: defeating - This is the present participle. "India had never been defeating" is grammatically awkward and contextually incorrect, implying India wasn't actively winning, rather than not losing.
• Option 3: defeat - This is a noun or base verb. It doesn't fit grammatically in the blank.
• Option 4: defeatist - This adjective describes a mentality or attitude. "India had never been defeatist" means they never had a losing attitude, which is different from never losing a match. It's grammatically incorrect in this context.

Conclusion

The word defeated correctly completes the sentence, indicating that India's streak of not losing matches remained unbroken until Iran emerged as a strong contender in kabaddi.