‘Incredibly proud’: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauds Indian men’s team for clinching Kho Kho World Cup title

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Indian men’s team for winning their first ever Kho Kho World Cup as the home team ended the tournament doubly happy after the women’s team thrashed Nepal to become champions at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. Prime Minister Modi noted that this victory will boost Kho Kho’s popularity among the youth in the country. “Today is a great day for the Indian Kho-Kho. Incredibly proud of the Indian men’s Kho-Kho team for winning the Kho-Kho World Cup title. Their determination and dedication is commendable. This win will contribute to increasing the popularity of the Kho-Kho among the youth,” Prime Minister Modi said. Written on X.

Today is a great day for the Indian Kho Kho.

Incredibly proud of the Indian Men’s Kho Kho team for winning the Kho Kho World Cup title. Their courage and dedication are commendable. This win will contribute to increasing Kho Kho’s popularity among young people. pic.twitter.com/OvzUV6SpX0

-Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 19, 2025

He also congratulated the Indian women’s team for topping the podium in the event after their landslide victory over Nepal in the summit match.

“Congratulations to the Indian women’s team on winning the first ever Kho Kho World Cup! This historic victory is a result of their unparalleled skill, determination and teamwork,” Modi wrote on X.

“This victory has shed more light on one of India’s oldest traditional sports and inspired countless young athletes across the country. I hope this achievement will also pave the way for more youth to pursue this sport in the times to come,” he added.

The Indian men’s team dominated the final against Nepal with a thumping 54-36 win, led by the outstanding performances of skipper Pratik Waikar and star of the tournament Ramji Kashyap. They joined the women’s team, who dominated Nepal in another excellent final, to seal a 78-40 victory.

The Indian men’s team’s journey to the tournament has not been great. India showed their dominance throughout the tournament, starting with convincing victories over Brazil, Peru and Bhutan in the group stages. Their momentum continued through the knockout rounds, as they saw off Bangladesh in the quarter-finals before overcoming a powerful South Africa side in the semi-finals.

On the other hand, the glory of the women’s team included huge victories over South Korea, Iran and Malaysia in the group stages, followed by victory over Bangladesh in the quarter-finals and then an impressive victory over South Africa in the semi-finals.

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