Continuing its unbeaten run, Indian men’s Kho Kho team entered the semi-finals of the 13th South Asian Games after clinching two wins in a day at Kathmandu on Monday.
India first thrashed hosts Nepal by an innings and 12 points with scores of 17-5 and later in the evening, went on to beat Bangladesh by an innings and two points with scores of 12-10.
It was India’s third win in as many games in the ongoing tournament.
After finishing top of the points table, India will now take on bottom-placed Sri Lanka in the semi-final on Tuesday.
In the other semi-final, Nepal will play against Bangladesh.
Maharashtra’s Abhinandan Patil and Sagar Potdar were the chief architects of India’s win over Nepal. While Patil impressed everyone in the chase, Potdar showed his skills in the defence.
Patil said his team is looking forward to continuing their unbeaten run in the competition.
“I am happy that I’ve contributed to the team’s win. We are looking to continue winning. We have worked really hard while preparing for this tournament so we are confident of an all-round show,” Abhinandan said after the match against Nepal.
Adding to Patil, Potdar said: “I am confident that we will be able to defend the title and look to play some challenging game in the run-up.”
Meanwhile, Indian women’s team also secured semi-final berth as they posted their second successive win in the competition when they beat Nepal on Monday.
Nasreen-led side, who beat Sri Lanka in their opening game on Sunday, notched up an innings and eight-point win with scores of 11-3 on Monday.
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