Kho Kho World Cup 2025: Indian males’s and girls’s groups attain ultimate after beating South Africa in semi-finals

India will compete for the World Cup trophies within the males’s and girls’s sections of the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025 as each groups reached the finals on Saturday. Whereas the Indian males’s kho kho workforce defeated South Africa 62-42 victory on the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the ladies’s facet outplayed South Africa 66-16 within the semi-finals.

The Indian males’s workforce will face Nepal within the ultimate on Sunday. Nepal certified for the finals of the lads’s division after beating Iran 72-29.

The Indian ladies’s workforce can even tackle Nepal within the summit conflict tomorrow (19 January). The Nepal ladies certified for the ultimate after beating Uganda 89-18.

The India vs South Africa males’s semi-final showcased distinctive defensive prowess and strategic gameplay from either side earlier than India pulled away within the decisive ultimate flip. A powerful begin from the South Africans prevented Pratik Waikar and Aditya Ganpule from happening a Dream Run, with numerous the credit score going to their Wazir. Their attackers then obtained Mehul and Sachin Bhargo in a tricky battle for batch two, however Aniket Pote dragged his batch to 2 minutes and 38 seconds. This summed up Flip 1, because the South Africans managed to attain 18 factors.

An attacking Indian workforce got here again exhausting in Flip 2, with Nikhil B in wonderful kind as that they had a tricky battle on their palms. With simply 14 factors in comparison with the South Africans’ 20 factors, Aditya Ganpule and Gowtham M obtained the workforce again into the sport with their expansive play, making certain the rating was 24-20 on the finish of Flip 2.

Khozi of South Africa was the principle menace for the Indian defenders in Flip 3. He ensured that the Males in Blue have been ALL OUT inside 2 minutes to stop the Dream Run, equalizing the rating within the course of. Ramji Kashyap, Pabani Sabar, and Suyash Gargate improved this time to 2 minutes and 30 seconds for batch 2, because the South Africans elevated the result in 38. As Flip 3 got here to an finish, the rating was at 42-28, establishing an thrilling ultimate flip within the seek for a spot within the ultimate.

Akash Kumar obtained Khoza and Mehul to present India an especially necessary begin to Flip 4. With 5 minutes and 10 seconds left on the clock, the rating distinction was simply 4 factors, however the skipper and Wazir Pratik Waikar obtained Khoza with an distinctive sky dive. It was at this level that Mehul turned up the warmth with a transfer that took them above their opponents. The match finally ended with a powerful scoreline of 62-42, regardless of a tricky battle from the South Africans.

India ladies storm into ultimate by beating South Africa

The Ladies in Blue delivered a masterclass in each assault and protection, establishing an thrilling ultimate conflict with Nepal.

The Ladies in Blue began off in fashion with a Dream Run courtesy of Chaithra B, who continued even after Nazia Bibi and Nirmala Bhati have been caught by the defenders. She single-handedly scored 5 factors earlier than being eradicated by South Africa’s Sinethemba Mosia. This was sufficient to take them near the South Africans’ 8 factors on the finish of Flip 1, giving them the right begin to the match.

Flip 2 noticed Reshma in full kind as the ladies obtained the South African gamers in a number of batches, scoring essential factors on their means. This proved necessary for the facet, because the rating learn 33-10 in favor of the Ladies in Blue.

A Dream Run for the Indian ladies’s workforce of their second match closed out Flip 3, as Vaishnavi Powar, Nasreen Shaikh, and Bhilardevi went on for 5 minutes. Their 5 factors epitomized the third flip because the rating stood at 38-16, giving them a robust platform heading into the ultimate 7 minutes of their semifinal conflict.

The longest batch for the South Africans in Flip 4 lasted simply 1 minute and 45 seconds because the Indians sealed their place within the ultimate. Nasreen Shaikh and Reshma Rathod led the cost, guiding the workforce to victory with the ultimate rating at 66-16.