Kathmandu: Indian men’s and women’s kho kho teams players reigned supreme as they finished champions for the second consecutive time at the 13th South Asian Games here in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
The 2016 gold medalists crushed the men’s team of Bangladesh in the finals for the second consecutive time as the women’s team led by Delhi’s Nasreen, also successfully defended their title against hosts, Nepal.
Indian men registered their victory with an innings and 7 points win and a scoreline of 16-9. Deepak Madhav was the hero of the day as he scored 5 crucial wickets for the team as he also stayed on the mat for more than two minutes.
“This is a very special win for the team. We entered the tournament with confidence and have followed the game plan to the toe. I am really happy that I could personally contribute in the medal win for the team,” said Madhav who belongs to Maharashtra.
In the women’s final, captain Nasreen led from the front as she chased down 5 points while her teammate Maharashtra’s Kajal Bhor also made a vital contribution with claiming 5 points.
Eventually, they wrapped the match 17-5 to finish top of the podium with an innings and 12 points win.
While India won gold in both the categories last edition’s silver medalist Bangladesh had a repeat finish on the podium in the men’s event with Nepal finishing third. In the women category, Nepal secured the second spot while Bangladesh ended the campaign with a bronze medal.