India Sink Nepal In Thrilling Opener As Kho Kho World Cup 2025 Kicks Off In New Delhi – News18

Last Updated:January 13, 2025, 22:32 IST

The joy from the opening festivities would only be extended for hosts India as the men’s team put up a skillful performance against Nepal in the tournament opener, securing the win with a score of 42-37.

An elaborate opening ceremony filled with harmony, joy, and excitement kicked off the proceedings for the night, with distinguished guests such as Jagdeep Dhankhar, PT Usha, Rajeev Shukla, Sudhanshu Mittal, and many more in attendance.

A wondrous display of sand painting, followed by the Indian Defense Services Band performing a soulful rendition of ‘Saare Jahaan Se Acha’ filled the auditorium with an air of patriotism and pride.

Spirited dance performances capturing the rich tapestry of culture that India holds ensued, following which all the participating countries were then introduced for those in presence.

Following opening addresses from Kho Kho Federation of India (KFFI) president Sudhanshu Mittal, IOA president PT Usha, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar, an oath-taking ceremony and the lighting of the ceremonial torch took place.

Then, with all the opening festivities out of the way, the crowd went ‘Kho’ as live Kho-Kho action ensued with India taking on Nepal in the opener.

The Indian men were slated to be the attackers in Turn 1 of the first innings and it took the home team just a little more than two minutes to clear out the first round of defenders and notch up 6 points. The second round of defenders from Nepal would do not much better as India, led by their Wazir and skipper Pratik Waiker, wiped out all three defenders in another minute and 25 seconds, blossoming India’s lead into double digits.

Throughout the rest of their turn, only more of the same story would unfold for Nepal, who were constantly bullied into submission at a rapid pace, as India took a dominant 24-0 lead over Nepal by the end of Turn 1.

Needing a strong start, Nepal would hunt down the Indians in fairly quick succession to begin Turn 2, eliminating 2 of the Indian defenders with ease as Gowtham MK of India would last for almost 2 minutes before the first batch of defenders was run out.

Nepal would continue to keep the pressure on the Indians, chopping down the lead to just 12 points with a little over 3 minutes left on the clock. But, the Indian trio of Aniket Pote, Siva Reddy, and Mehul would pile the misery on the visitors, eating up the clock as Nepal would eventually end their turn with 20 points, giving India the slender lead at 24-20 at the end of the first innings.

Following another quick initial collapse of defenders at the beginning of Turn 3, Nepal’s Bharat Saru would help the visitors find a little bit of breathing room, as the pesky defender would run India’s attackers aloof, surviving for 3 minutes on his own. Yet his lone efforts would do little to stop the bleeding of points as India took a seemingly insurmountable lead at the end of the turn with a score of 42-21.

It was all to play for as Nepal needed to secure 22 points in their final turn as the attackers to seal an upset. But, the Indian defending trio of Gowtham, Waiker, and Ganpule set the tone commandingly, eating up almost two and a half minutes off the clock out the gate to pile the early pressure on their opponents. Next up would be defender Subramani V for India, who would continue to pile on the misery for Nepal, lasting two and a half minutes himself, dodging skydives galore to run the clock down.

With a little more than just 2 minutes left on the clock and 10 more points needed to seal a win, Nepal needed to skillfully accelerate if they were to cause an upset. But, the hosts would prove to be too wily, evading the Nepal attackers with ease, to seal a thrilling 42-37 win as India started their campaign on a winning note.

The Indian men’s team will continue their campaign on Tuesday when they take on Brazil, while the women’s team shall begin their tournament by taking on South Korea.