NEW DELHI: The Indian women’s team emerged victorious in the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup, clinching the title with a commanding 78-40 win against Nepal at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in the national capital on Sunday.
The Indian team showcased their prowess in speed, strategy and skill, delivering a clinical show throughout the match to lift the title.
The hosts started off strong in Turn 1, with their attackers taking charge and eliminating three batches of the Nepal women on 7 occasions, accumulating 14 points.
Skipper Priyanka Ingle was in top form, scoring multiple touch points as India raced to 34 points while denying Nepal any Dream Runs.
Despite Manmati Dhami and B Samjhana eliminating Vaishnavi Pawar and Priyanka Ingle respectively, B Chaithra managed to take India’s first batch of Turn 2 into the Dream Run.
However, Dipa quickly completed the ALL OUT, bringing Nepal back into the game. Nevertheless, they could only manage 24 points by the end of Turn 2, trailing by 11 points at half time.
India continued their dominance in Turn 3, never allowing the Nepal defenders to find their rhythm.
BK Dipa put in a valiant effort for Nepal, but it proved futile as the Indians inched closer to the trophy.
Chaithra orchestrated the Dream Run for India in Turn 4, propelling the score to a massive 78 points.
Their batch lasted an impressive 5 minutes and 14 seconds, sealing the victory for India and crowning them as the first-ever champions of the Kho Kho World Cup.
India’s journey to glory included commanding wins over South Korea, Iran, and Malaysia in the group stages, followed by triumphs against Bangladesh in the quarter-finals and a masterful performance against South Africa in the semis.
