Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India women’s team scripted history, winning the inaugural edition of the Kho Kho World Cup at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. India defeated arch-rivals Nepal 78-40 in a largely one-sided contest, much to the delight of a strong crowd at the venue. Anshu Kumari and Chaithra were the stars of the Indian team on the big day, playing a key role in their dominant win over Nepal. The men’s team was poised to win their final against Nepal later in the day.
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A brisk start epitomised Turn 1 as the Indian attackers took charge of proceedings. Three batches in, the Nepal women were out by simple touches on 7 occasions, with 14 points to India’s name. Skipper Priyanka Ingle was in the best of form for her team with multiple touch points to her name, as the Indians started off in an exceptional manner. This was enough to take the Women in Blue to 34 points and prevented a single Dream Run for the Nepal team.
Manmati Dhami got Vaishnavi Pawar, and Samjhana B eliminated Priyanka Ingle but Chaithra B took India’s first batch of Turn 2 into the Dream Run. It wasn’t for long though, as Dipa completed the ALL OUT just moments later. This got the side back into the game, but they only managed to score 24 points at the end of Turn 2, with an 11-point deficit at half-time.
Team India was once again a dominant force in Turn 3, never allowing the Nepal defenders to settle in their stride. Dipa BK was a regular for Nepal, but it went in vain throughout, ensuring that the Indians edged closer to the trophy.
Chaithra B was the orchestrator of the Dream Run for India, taking the score to a massive 78 points in Turn 4. Their batch went on for a massive 5 minutes and 14 seconds, closing out the game for India and confirming them as the first-ever champions of the Kho Kho World Cup 2025.
India’s path to glory included commanding victories over South Korea, Iran, and Malaysia in the group stages, followed by triumph against Bangladesh in the quarter-finals and a dominant win over South Africa in the semi-finals.
THE BEST IN THE FINAL OF KHO KHO WORLD CUP
Best Attacker of the match: Anshu Kumari (Team India)
Best Defender of the match: Manmati Dhani (Team Nepal)
Best Player of the match: Chaithra B (Team India)
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
