The Indian men’s Kho Kho team secured their place in the quarter-finals with a convincing 70-38 win over Peru in the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025 held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. The Indian women’s team also continued their dominance as they beat Iran by 84 runs, winning the match 100-16 earlier on Wednesday. The hosts continued their impressive run in the tournament, displaying their tournament credentials with a dominant performance that showcased their tactical superiority and sporting prowess.
A strong start set the tone for Team India as they dominated the early stages of Turn 1, although Peru showed resilience with a short defensive stance into Turn 2.
However, the hosts soon reasserted their dominance through Wazir Pratik Waikar’s brilliant leadership, finishing the first round with 36 points. The momentum continued to build through the second turn, with outstanding performances by Aditya Pote, Siva Reddy and Sachin Bhargo.
India’s dominance extended until Turn 3, and by Turn 4, the score had risen to 70 points.
With this huge victory by 32 points, India not only secured their place in the quarter-finals, but also sent a clear message about their title aspirations in the tournament.
Earlier in the day, Team India took 33 seconds to eliminate the first batch of Iranian women, paving the way for another win for the women’s team. Ashwini took charge this time, but the Iranian side recovered well, remaining on the mat for two minutes before returning to their dugout thanks to masterful work by the Indian strikers.
Skydiving started the Iranian women’s attack but captain Priyanka Engle and Nirmala Bhatti led the team into the Dream Run, earning two points.
Iran’s longest push at turn three saw them survive for almost two minutes, but it was a minor Achilles heel for the Indian attackers, with Wazir Nirmala taking charge this time. Nasreen also joined the party, adding a little touch to her tally as the team quickly managed to take out three batches of Iranians within three minutes. This began the collapse that saw Iran drop another 42 points before the final round of the match.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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