New Delhi: The Indian women’s team scripted history by clinching the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium at the Capital on Sunday. The Priyanka Ingle-led side defeated Nepal in the final by a comprehensive margin of 78-40.
The popular notion of all those involved within the circuit of the sport is that the double success, with the Indian men’s team also winning the World Cup, will be a huge endorsement for the sport in the country. This was the moment for some to discover the fast-paced indigenous sport involving athleticism at paramount.
There was a moment of fulfillment for all the players and support staff y who put tremendous efforts behind the sport to watch this day. The recognition was due and it aptly came in the form of love and admiration. A huge crowd for the final, prominent names such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, the attention by media personnel, the tumultuous cheers from supporters while leaving the team bus. It might take them time to sink in all of this because they haven’t experienced this before.
A landmark day for Indian sports! 🏆🇮🇳
Our Men’s and Women’s Kho Kho teams have etched their names in history by winning the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup. A proud moment for the entire nation. Congratulations, champions! pic.twitter.com/WRdOU2MLvG— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 20, 2025
Overcoming Adversity: Stories of the Indian Women’s Kho Kho Team
Many of the women team players hail from primitive economical region where sports isn’t seen as a hope to lay a foundation stone for a prosperous and blissful life. Some of them didn’t have the nod to play kho kho when they really fell in love with the game and its nuances. Take for instance, the captain Priyanka Ingle who had to rely on the support of her coach Avinash Karwande to convince her parents that she is gifted.
Hailing from Beed district in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, Priyanka played 23 nationals in 15 years before attaining the glory of a World Cup winner. She wouldn’t have had her coach not intervened.
“When I started playing Kho Kho, the sport didn’t had a great platform, and so my family didn’t support me for playing,” Priyanka told News9 Sports. “Only when I played my first nationals in 8th grade, I got support from my family.”
For Monika Shah, who hails from Bihar’s Bhagalpur region, it was about going against the family pressure of marrying at a young age. She was even ready to run away from her house if her parents would compel her to marry. It was all the love for the sport for which she was ready to battle anyone who came in between her dreams.
“The place I come from, there isn’t much sporting activity. Just study and work. In our place, playing sports is as good as wasting time. I am 25 now, but in Bihar, at the age of 16-17, they get us married. So I was pressured enough. I said that if you get me married forcefully then I will run away (abscond). I was ready to leave anything for the sport, I am ready for anything, I was really passionate about it,” Monika told News9 Sports.
Monika, who started the game in 2008, wanted to don the national shirt once after she saw the senior members wearing them. That dream came true when she played her first international match in 2016. She wanted to play for India in 2016.
The other best moment of her journey was purchasing her first pair of shoes after getting involved into different gigs like coaching students in school and being a gym trainer. She collected the money to get something she always wanted to.
“I started playing kho kho in 2008. When I started playing the game, I wasn’t aware any of the benefits of the game. I simply started playing the sport. There was no future of the sport at that point. My parents questioned my choice and asked me to stop it, saying there’s nothing in the game,” she said.
“I would gather all the money from these gigs so that I could buy myself shoes. Whatever I have purchased, I have done it from my own money. I took my first shoes when I played the Nationals during school, spending 300-400 was a big amount for me then. Those Sega shoes was as big as purchasing Nike or Asics,” Monika said.
Sacrificed brother’s marriage to participate in World Cup
Nazia Bibi became the first woman player from Jammu and Kashmir to play kho kho for India. The 21-year-old, who hails from Gujjar Nagar in Jammu and Kashmir, was mocked for enrolling into sports. She said that it was from terrace where she started first at the school and wanted to play regardless of what the outcome was.
“I was a good player and then while playing, eventually, I reached the national level. I got selected for the camp and then from there I was selected for the World Cup,” Nazia said.
“First people in my locality would say that what will you get playing, just stay away from it and study silently. But after the World Cup, I think I can inspire many kids in my area to play the sport.”
Unlike Priyanka, Nazia didn’t had any specialised coach, who spotted her talent and honed her skills. It was only after making cut for the national camp, she upgraded her game.
The lanky player had to skip her brother’s wedding in order to participate in the camp, where the final squad for the World Cup was set to be announced from 60 players. Only upon selection and becoming a World Cup winner, has made her feel that the sacrifice was worthy.
The Ultimate Kho Kho league has completed two seasons in the men’s section, and has immensely helped the Indian team spot talented players. As skipper Pratik Waikar mentioned after the World Cup win that the likes of Aditya Ganpule and Ramji Kashyap never played in Nationals but made it to the Indian team following their performance for their respective franchises.
The recent success of the Indian women should pave the way for a women’s kho kho League to help the country find many more Priyankas, Monikas, and Nazia.
The Indian women’s Kho Kho team made history, winning the inaugural World Cup. The victory, alongside the men’s team win, is expected to boost the sport’s popularity in India. The team’s success is particularly significant given the players’ backgrounds, many hailing from economically disadvantaged areas where sports are not always supported. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
