India crowned inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi champions after defeating Uganda
Hyderabad: India became the first women’s champions of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship after defeating Uganda Women 35-15 in a commanding performance, capping an unbeaten campaign to clinch the title in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Sakshi top-scored for India with nine raid points from 10 raids, including two bonus points. Seven of those points came in the first half, when she was successful in all six of her raids.
Anu added six raid points, while captain Nidhi Sharma contributed five, including three bonus points. Ritu and Suman anchored the defence with four tackle points each. India scored 20 raid points and 10 tackle points, while also inflicting two All-Outs.
Nakayongo Shirat spearheaded Uganda’s attack, making 24 of the team’s 35 raids and scoring 11 of its 15 points, including three bonus points. Uganda’s other raiders managed just three points between them, with semi-final star Nalwoga Nahia restricted to one point.
Zalwango Jemima’s second-half tackle was the only occasion on which Uganda managed to stop an Indian raider throughout the match. Uganda scored 14 raid points and one tackle point.
India led 7-3 with 10 minutes of the first half remaining before pulling away. They outscored Uganda 15-4 thereafter, including an All-Out, to take a commanding 22-7 lead at half-time. India did not lose a single raid in the first half, as Uganda failed in all nine of their tackle attempts, while India’s defenders made six successful tackles.
Uganda edged India 7-6 on raid points in the second half, but India’s second All-Out, with less than 10 minutes remaining, put the result beyond doubt. Over the course of the match, India tackled Uganda’s raiders 10 times and converted three of their four do-or-die raids.
Sakshi, who finished the championship with 52 points from six matches and was India’s standout performer in the final, said, “I’m feeling great that I could score nine raid points and help the team win. The atmosphere in the team is euphoric after winning the gold medal, and everyone is very happy. This event was very important for kabaddi, as such international tournaments will help the growth of the sport, and our young players will benefit a lot from this experience. I could see a lot of improvement in other teams compared to last year. I want to thank AKFI for organising such a wonderful championship.”
India completed a perfect campaign in Ahmedabad, winning all six of their matches. They opened with a 73-13 victory over Malaysia, followed by a 32-16 win against Singapore, a 41-18 victory over Uganda and a 38-10 triumph against Nigeria to finish at the top of Group A.
In the semi-final, India defeated Sri Lanka 39-14 before sealing the title with a 35-15 victory over Uganda in the final.