Pune’s Waikar leads men’s kho kho team to glory, his kin coach of winning women’s squad

Reminiscing astir the tournament, Pratik said the contention was tough. He peculiarly spoke of the matches involving Nepal, Iran and South Africa, which witnessed immoderate high-level play. He commended the European countries and adjacent Africa for showing overmuch involvement successful kho-kho and said that qualifying for the World Cup present is itself a large deal.

Known arsenic ‘Captain Cool’, Pratik said helium shouldered the work of keeping his squad together. “During signifier sessions, I would place some endowment and flaws successful the players. I would speech to them, motivate them and guarantee that we performed successful cohesion,” helium said, adding that the squad would proceed practising for the National Games coming up soon and the adjacent World Cup tournament.

Pratik is grateful to the MSEDCL, particularly main technologist (Pune division) Rajendra Pawar and others, for their coagulated backing and for granting him a small leeway astatine enactment to be signifier sessions.

When contacted, Prachi Waikar, sports caput astatine a salient planetary schoolhouse successful Pune, said winning some editions of the World Cup was a large infinitesimal for the country. “We are overjoyed that our hard enactment has paid off. We person been stationed successful New Delhi since mid-December, rigorously practising for the tournament,” she said.

Prachi and her hubby Sanat, besides a kho-kho player, person acceptable up Krida Niketan, a nine astatine Sinhagad road, which offers a level for children from the adjacent slums to play the sport.

The Waikars unrecorded arsenic a associated household successful a azygous gathering astatine Sadashiv Peth. The passionateness for kho-kho seems to tally successful the family. Both Pratik and his older member Kunal landed jobs with the MSEDCL and Indian Railways respectively acknowledgment to their proficiency successful the sport, says their father, Kiran. “This is specified a arrogant infinitesimal for the federation and our family,” Kiran said.

Several members of the Waikar household are successful New Delhi for the tourney which ended connected Sunday and the awards ceremonial to follow.
Pratik took to kho-kho and hoops astatine an aboriginal age. Seeing his agility successful the game, helium was admitted to the renowned Navmaharashtra Club erstwhile helium was conscionable 8. He archetypal captained the Maharashtra kho-kho squad successful the under-14 property radical and has ne'er looked backmost since. However, helium gave adjacent weightage to his studies too, going connected to postgraduate successful machine subject and aboriginal picking up an MBA successful finance.

Speaking astir Pratik’s passionateness for the sport, his woman Kshitija recalled however helium would not beryllium disposable for respective household functions. “And the fewer occasions helium would beryllium present, helium would enactment for an hr oregon truthful earlier heading retired for his signifier sessions,” she said.

Kshitija says it was undiluted pleasance watching Pratik assistance the World Cup, adjacent arsenic their three-year-old lad Rushank kept shouting “India, India” adjacent if helium could not afloat grasp the value of the event.