Kho Kho World Cup: Indian women start campaign with massive win over South Korea; men beat Brazil

The Indian women's team started their 2025 Kho Kho World Cup campaign with a massive 175-18 victory over South Korea on Tuesday, whereas the men's team beat Brazil 64-34 to win their second match in a row.

The women in blue showcased their prowess with exceptional dream runs and remarkable defensive strategies that left their opponents struggling at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

Chaithra B, Meenu and skipper Priyanka Ingle set the tone for Team India with consecutive dream runs, with the first two batches each earning a point. This strategic opening helped neutralise the ten touch points that South Korea managed to secure at the end of the first turn.

With the momentum in their favour, the Indians launched into a full-force attack. In just ninety seconds, led by the dynamic trio of Nasreen Shaikh, Ingle and Reshma Rathod, the team secured three all out victories against the defenders, pushing the score to 24.

Merely 18 seconds later, they inflicted a fourth all out on South Korea, extending their lead to 22 points. 

Rathod stood out with an impressive six touchpoints, while Meenu delivered an outstanding performance with 12 points, significantly bolstering the team's score.

By the end of Turn 2, India had eliminated a staggering 16 batches, taking the score to 94-10.

Turn 3 maintained the same intensity, with the women in blue adding three points via dream run. South Korea managed only eight points in the second innings of Turn 3 as India's dominance continued unabated.

The final turn showcased India's unrelenting control over the match, never allowing their opponents to establish any rhythm. The match concluded with India posting a massive 175 points against South Korea's 18, sending a resounding message to other teams in their group as the tournament enters its crucial stages.

India men beat Brazil

The match, which kept spectators on the edge of their seats at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, showcased exceptional skill from both sides, with India ultimately proving their mettle in a spectacular finish to Day 2 of the tournament.

Brazil started well while attacking against India, getting 16 points to their name but Team India came back very well. They earned two points during a dream run that kept the Brazilians on their toes, giving the team a good platform to kickstart the match in Turn 2.

Turn 2 was very impressive for the hosts as they upped the ante while attacking against the Brazilians.

Rokeson Singh, Pabani Sabar and Aditya Ganpule were the main aggressors for India, as they led the team to an impressive 36 points at the end of Turn 2. But just when it looked like they were running away with the same, Brazil fought back in Turn 3.

Brazil piled the pressure on India in Turn 3, led by the likes of Mauro Pinto, Joel Rodrigues and Matheus Costa, who scored six touch points.

The side worked hard and eventually fought their way back, scoring an impressive 34 points in reply to India’s 38, setting up an extremely exciting final seven minutes of the match.

As expected, India bounced back very well in Turn 4, led by Ganpule and skipper Pratik Waikar. Singh also scored four points via sky dives and Mehul got two touchpoints, as the host team went on to secure an impressive win.