Indian kho kho teams all set to defend their titles at South Asian Games; Balasaheb Pokarde, Nasreen to lead

Indian Mens and Womens Kho kho teams for SAF Games with KKFI General Secretary (C) and coaches — Indian Men's and Women's Kho kho teams for SAF Games with KKFI General Secretary (C) and coaches

New Delhi, November 29: Kho Kho Federation of India on Thursday (November 28) announced 15-member men's and women's team for the upcoming 13th South Asian Games which is scheduled from December 1 to 10 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

After inclusion of kho kho in the South Asian Games for the first time in 2016, both men's and women's team finished at the top of the podium. The defending champions will be aiming to repeat their gold medal-winning performances in Kathmandu.

After some good performances in the recently concluded test matches against Nepal, both the teams are heading into the competition with a boost in their confidence.

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Maharashtra's Balasaheb Pokarde will lead the men's team in the competition. Pokarde, who made his debut during last edition of the Games and played a crucial role to help team win gold, is confident of defending the title. "We have focused on getting a very balanced team for the Games. I think we are strong on both ends of the mat and have good team combination. I am confident that we are going to give our best and win the (gold) medal again," Pokarde said.

Meanwhile, women's team skipper Nasreen is wary of challenges home team Nepal may pose but said her team has prepared well to defend the title. "We have practised really hard for last one month. I believe we are a strong team heading into the competition. Since the competition is in Nepal, Nepal will surely pose some challenge but I believe we are prepared well to give our best and defend the title."

Teams:

Men's team: Balasaheb Pokarde (captain), Raju Buchannagari, Sagar Potdar, Shreyas Raul, Akshay Ganpule, Sudarshan, Deepak Madhav, Abhinandan Patil, Satyajit Singh, Suresh Sawant, Muneerbasha Ahamadjohn, Dhanwin Khopkar, Sibin Mailankil, Jagdev Singh, Tapan Paul.

Women's team: Nasreen (captain), Kajal Bhor, Priyanka Bhopi, Aishwarya Sawant, Pornima Sakpal, Krishna Yadav, Nikita Pawar, Apeksha Sutar, Sasmita Sharma, Eshita Biswas, Mukesh, Maya, Parveen Nisha, Kalaivani Kathirkaman, Nancy Jain.

Source: Press Release