4th Asian Kho Kho Championship: India’s dominance continues on Day 2

Host India’s dominance continued on the second day of the 4th Asian Kho Kho Championships being held at Tamulpur in Baksa district of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Assam, on Tuesday.

Both Indian men and women registered wins against their opponents.

For the Indian women, it was an easy outing against Malaysia. Nasreen-led Indian side thrashed their opponents by 64 points and an innings. India scored 79 points in the first innings against Malaysia’s 15.

Captain Nasreen and Archana Majhi were at their attacking best helping their team to earn maximum points in front of the roaring crowds.

“It was an amazing match. We are upbeat and excited. We have been able to put pressure on the opponents since the start of the game. This has helped up to carry on with our good run,” captain Nasreen said after the match.

Nasreen thinks Nepal and Bangladesh can give a tough fight to the Indian team which has been unbeaten so far.

“We are expecting some tough challenges from our neighbours – Nepal and Bhutan. But we are working hard to overcome whatever challenges come on the way,” she added.

However, it was a tough contest between Indian men and Iran. The hosts managed to win the dual by 4 points and an innings.

In other matches of women, Bangladesh defeated South Korea by 63 points and an innings. Nepal also tasted victory against Indonesia by 58 points and an innings. Sri Lanka registered a win against Bhutan by 47 points and an innings.

In men’s matches, Bangladesh registered a win by 60 points and an innings against Indonesia. Nepal got the better of their neighbours Bhutan by 23 points and an innings.

Sri Lanka beat South Korea by 50 points and an innings.

Altogether 16 teams (both male and female) will participate in this event. The participating countries are – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the host India.

The event is being organised by the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) and is being hosted by the Assam Kho Kho Association (AKKA) with support from the BTR Government. The government of Assam also extended their support for the competition.

Around 500 players and officials are part of this event. The matches will be held on mats and a makeshift indoor stadium with a capacity to accommodate around 7000 people has been set up at the venue at Tamulpur Higher Secondary School.