New Delhi: Both Indian Women and Men’s team continued their domination to storm into the finals in the ongoing Kho Kho World Cup. While the Indian women entered the final defeating South Africa by a margin of 50 points, the men also overcame South Africa by 20 points in the semi-final played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here yesterday, to make it to the grand finale of the first ever Kho Kho World Cup.

At first, Indian women’s team once again showcased their tactical prowess as they outplayed South Africa 66-16. The Women in Blue delivered a masterclass in both attack and defence, setting up an exciting final clash with Nepal later in the day today.

The Women in Blue started off in style with a Dream Run courtesy of B. Chaithra, who continued even after Nazia Bibi and Nirmala Bhati were caught by the defenders. She single-handedly scored 5 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 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 favour 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 epitomised the third turn as the score stood at 38-16, giving them a strong platform heading into the final 7 minutes of their semifinal 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. Nasreen Shaikh and Reshma Rathod led the charge, guiding the team to victory with the final score at 66-16.

Indian men overcome South African challenge

Meanwhile, in a captivating display of skill and resilience, the Indian men’s team overcame a strong South African challenge to secure their spot in the final with a 62-42 victory. The match showcased exceptional defensive prowess and strategic gameplay from both sides before India pulled away in the decisive final turn.

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 B. Nikhil 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 M. Gowtham 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 2 minutes to prevent the Dream Run, equalizing 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. The match eventually ended with an impressive scoreline of 62-42, despite a tough fight from the South Africans.

In the finals, Indian Women will take on Nepal  at 7 pm and the Men in Blue will also  face Nepal at 8.15 pm today.

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