India’s men's and women's teams advanced to the final of the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup in New Delhi on Saturday.
While the Indian women again showcased their tactical prowess, outplaying South Africa 66-16 in the semi-finals, the men's team secured their spot in the final with a 62-42 victory over the team from the Rainbow Nation.
The 'Women in Blue' delivered a masterclass in both attack and defense, setting up an exciting final clash with Nepal.
The hosts started off in style with a Dream Run courtesy of Chaithra B, who continued even after Nazia Bibi and Nirmala Bhati were caught by the defenders. She single-handedly scored five points before being eliminated by South Africa's Sinethemba Mosia.
This was enough to take them close to the South Africans' 8 points at the end of Turn 1, giving them the perfect start to the match.
Turn 2 saw Reshma in full form as the Indian women got the South African players in multiple batches, scoring crucial points on their way. This proved important for the side, as the score read 33-10 in favor of the Women in Blue.
A Dream Run for the Indian women's team in their second match closed out Turn 3, as Vaishnavi Powar, Nasreen Shaikh, and Bhilardevi went on for a good 5 minutes. Their 5 points headlined the third turn as the score stood at 38-16, giving them a strong platform heading into the final 7 minutes of their semi-final clash.
The longest batch for the South Africans in Turn 4 lasted just 1 minute and 45 seconds as the Indians sealed their place in the final.
Nepal qualified for the women's final, beating Uganda 89-18 in their semi-final clash.
India’s men surge past South Africa
In a captivating display of skill and resilience, the Indian men's Kho Kho team overcame a strong South African challenge.
A strong start from the South Africans prevented Pratik Waikar and Aditya Ganpule from going on a Dream Run, with a lot of the credit going to their Wazir.
Their attackers then got Mehul and Sachin Bhargo in a tough fight for batch two, but Aniket Pote dragged his batch to 2 minutes and 38 seconds. This summed up Turn 1, as the South Africans managed to score 18 points.
An attacking Indian team came back hard in Turn 2, with Nikhil B in fine form as they had a tough fight on their hands. With just 14 points compared to the South Africans' 20 points, Aditya Ganpule and Gowtham M got the team back into the game with their expansive play, ensuring the score was 24-20 at the end of Turn 2.
Khozi of South Africa was the main threat for the Indian defenders in Turn 3. He ensured that the Men in Blue were ALL OUT within two minutes to prevent the Dream Run, equalising the score in the process.
Ramji Kashyap, Pabani Sabar, and Suyash Gargate improved this time to 2 minutes and 30 seconds for batch 2, as the South Africans increased the lead to 38. As Turn 3 came to an end, the score was at 42-28, setting up an exciting final turn in the search for a place in the final.
Akash Kumar got Khoza and Mehul to give India an extremely important start to Turn 4.
With 5 minutes and 10 seconds left on the clock, the score difference was just 4 points, but the skipper and Wazir Pratik Waikar got Khoza with an exceptional sky dive. It was at this point that Mehul turned up the heat with a move that took them above their opponents.
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