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New Zealand's Kho Kho players, Ramandeep Kaur Marar and Jyoti Rani expressed happiness at representing the country in the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup being held in India and opened up on their journey with the sport, managing their passion for the game with job, motherhood etc.
The first-ever Kho Kho World Cup finally kickstarted in New Delhi on Monday with a grand opening ceremony and will be held till January 19. The first match of the tournament saw India play Nepal in men's action. The women's action will kickstart on Tuesday with England taking on Australia while NZ will play their first game against South Africa on the same day. Speaking about the tournament, Ramandeep said that she started playing Kho Kho for Hamilton and played with other New Zealand districts before making it to the World Cup. "We never expected to get this opportunity. This is the biggest opportunity we have got. This is a huge achievement. Thanks to god and kho kho for all this. My parents live in Ludhiana. They were super proud and had tears in their eyes. I am the only woman with a turban playing in this WC. They had come here to see me," she added. Ramandeep also said that New Zealand has been playing Kho Kho for the last five years and the national side also features players who are also mothers. "I work as a registered nurse too. Kho Kho is my passion, I have been playing sports since childhood. I have played kabaddi, cricket, handball etc," she added. Jyoti Rani, another Kho Kho player who has been living in NZ since 2010, said, "I feel excited. Had never expected this. This is something different. I feel confident. I feel really good here." She said that she started playing Kho Kho when someone at the gym suggested she play the sport. "I never expected that we would expect NZ at this platform. I have been in NZ since 2010 and had my kids there. I do business and job both. With all that, I manage my sport. It feels great," she concluded. (ANI)
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