Indian Women’s Team Crowned Kho Kho World Cup Champions

In a moment of history in Indian sports, the Indian women’s Kho Kho team won the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup when they thrashed Nepal 78-40 in the summit clash at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Sunday. The overall brilliance of speed, strategy, and skill of the team left its fans spell-bound and ensured them as the first-ever champions in this prestigious tournament.

The match started with India taking control from the very first turn. Coached by skipper Priyanka Ingle, the Indian team showed magnificent coordination and made Nepal feel pressured within no time. With careful touches and shrewd movements, India dispatched Nepal’s players one after the other, managing to score a remarkable 14 points in the first batch itself.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the team with praise for their skill, determination, and teamwork. Posting in X, he wrote, “Heartiest congrats to Indian women’s Kho Kho team who created history winning the first ever World Cup for this sport. A victory to match their unbelievable skills, dogged determination and synergy. A beginning for even more young talented Indians to now chase this wonderful game.”

The whole game was dominated by India in each turn as no time was allowed to the defenders of Nepal to get settled. After some resistance by Nepal in the second turn, India again did well and had “ALL OUT.” Dipa and Priyanka Ingle with Chaithra led India in making a remarkable score of 78 points in the fourth turn which sealed their triumph. This continued Dream Run took over five minutes beating Nepal’s defense and gave the victory to India.

India’s route to the trophy included dominant performances against the heavyweights in the group stages, South Korea, Iran, and Malaysia, then crucial wins against Bangladesh in the quarter-finals and a dominating performance in the semi-final against South Africa.

The win has shone the spotlight on one of India’s oldest traditional sports, Kho Kho, and has set a precedent for future tournaments. The victory is significant not only in terms of milestones for the sport but also because it encourages several young players to take up the game, which will keep growing and being more popular in the country.

The momentous victory has left etched Indian women’s team history, giving the country pride while taking the legend of Kho Kho to an international stage.