Ahmedabad, Oct 31 (IANS) Captain Nidhi Sharma led from the front as World Champions India beat Uganda 35-15 in the final to become the first women’s champion of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, capping an unbeaten campaign to claim the trophy in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Sakshi top-scored for India with nine raid points from 10 raids, including two bonus points. Seven of those came in the first half, when she was successful in all six of her raids.
Anu added six raid points and captain Nidhi Sharma 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, also inflicting two All-Outs along the way.
Nakayongo Shirat carried Uganda’s attack, making 24 of their 35 raids and scoring 11 of their 15 points, including three bonus points. Uganda’s other raiders managed three points between them, with semi-final star Nalwoga Nahia held to one. Zalwango Jemima’s second-half tackle was the only time Uganda stopped an Indian raider all match. Uganda scored 14 raid points and one tackle point.
India led 7-3 with 10 minutes of the first half remaining before pulling clear. They outscored Uganda 15-4 from there, including an All-Out, to lead 22-7 at half-time. India did not lose a single raid in the first half, as Uganda failed with all nine of their tackle attempts, while India’s defenders made six successful tackles.
Uganda edged India 7-6 on raid points after the break, but India’s second All-Out, with less than 10 minutes to play, put the result beyond doubt. Over 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 best player in the final, said, “I’m feeling great that I could score 9 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 from last year. I want to thank AKFI for organising such a wonderful championship.”
India women’s title ended a perfect campaign in Ahmedabad, with six wins from six matches. They opened with a 73-13 win over Malaysia, then beat Singapore 32-16, Uganda 41-18 and Nigeria 38-10 to finish top of Group A. In the semifinal, they beat Sri Lanka 39-14 before sealing the trophy in the ultimate match against Uganda.
–IANS
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