Commonwealth kabaddi championship: Indian men's and women's teams win titles

Host India secured a double title in the first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship played in Ahmedabad. In the decisive matches held on Saturday, the Indian men's team defeated Sri Lanka by a big margin, while the women's team registered a one-sided victory against Uganda.

In the final match of the men's category, India defeated Sri Lanka with a score of 54-20. The Indian team maintained dominance from the beginning and achieved a big lead of 30-10 by halftime. For India, Aditya Shinde went to the opposition court 14 times, scored 10 points and completed his 'Super 10'. In the second half, Bharat Hooda added 8 raid points without getting out, while Pankaj Mohite contributed 6 and vice-captain Naveen Kumar 5 points.

In the defensive line, Yogesh Dahiya completed a 'High 5' by succeeding in all his five tackles during the first half. Captain Surjit Singh, Shubham Shinde, Pravesh Malik and Deepak Shankar scored two tackle points each. The Indian team all-out the opposition players four times, while not getting all-out even once during the entire match.

Earlier in the women's category final, the Indian team led by captain निधि शर्मा (Nidhi Sharma) defeated Uganda 35-15. By halftime, the Indian team was ahead 22-7. For India, Sakshi scored 9 points making 10 raids, which included points scored on six consecutive raids in the first half. Anu added 6 and captain Nidhi Sharma 5 points, while Ritu and सुमन (Suman) made four tackles each in defence.

During the tournament, the performance of both Indian teams remained immaculate. The men's team lifted the trophy by winning eight consecutive matches, while the women players also achieved victory in all six matches. No opposing team in the tournament could score more than 30 points against the Indian men's team.

After the match, Sakshi said that the team is very happy with winning the gold medal. She said that such international tournaments are necessary for the development of kabaddi and young players will get to learn a lot from them. Meanwhile, Aditya Shinde of the men's team expressed gratitude for the huge support received from the audience in Ahmedabad.

Key developments

• India won a double title in the first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship
• India defeated Sri Lanka by 54-20 points in the final match of the men's category
• The women's team defeated Uganda 35-15 in the final to win the gold medal
• Both Indian teams remained undefeated winning all matches during the tournament