
THREE players from Ashton-under-Lyne have been selected to play for England at the first Kho Kho World Cup.
Dillon Kevat, Rutik Joshi and Akash Sood learned to play the sport at a local youth club, as well as at regional and national competitions and tournaments over the years.
They were successfully chosen for the squad after undertaking trials back in November.
Although the game has been played since the 1970s by different Indian community groups across England, the Kho Kho Federation of England – established in 2013 – has worked to popularise the sport to build a foundation for Team England to compete at international level.
With its roots from India, Kho Kho is a high-energy, team-based sport that combines speed, strategy and agility.
Played by two teams, the objective is simple: chase and tag opponents while avoiding being tagged yourself.
The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup is taking place this week at the IGI Stadium in Delhi, India, up until Sunday, January 19.
Fielding both a men’s and a women’s team, each England squad consists of 15 athletes who are showcasing their skills on the global stage.
The England squad, consisting of players from across the country, has been training for the past two months – including a three-day boot camp between Christmas and New Year in preparation for the competition.
The men’s England team is facing Australia, Kenya, Malaysia and Germany in its group, while the women are up against Uganda, Netherlands, Kenya, Germany and Australia.
The winners of the groups will progress to the final stages.
Some of Bollywood’s biggest stars are lending their support to the first Kho Kho World Cup – with iconic names like Salman Khan, Ananya Panday and Amitabh Bachchan helping to elevate the sport’s profile.