Cuttack, 10th January 2023: The Ultimate Kho Kho League is well underway and the Adani Sportsline-owned Gujarat Giants are in great form in their first six matches of the season. Taking place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, the Giants are second on the points table, with four wins, one loss and a draw to their name.
After the best possible that the team could have, one of their star players Abhinandan Patil was all praise for the management, crediting the Adani Sportsline group for the progress of an indigenous sport like Kho Kho in India. “The facilities that Adani Sportsline has provided are excellent.
“Team management gives the players everything that is required to perform to the best of our abilities. This also motivates us to do well for the team. We have gone from playing Kho Kho in the sand to the mats, thanks to an improvement in the facilities,” shared the 2022 season’s Attacker of the Tournament.
This upgrade from the sands to mats has also translated into form for the players, and Abhinandan is confident of the Adani Sportsline-owned Gujarat Giants performing well this season. “The Ultimate Kho Kho League also helps us become better players with the high-level of their facilities. This is also visible in the form of the players. In six matches, we have four wins, one draw and just one loss. The team combinations are working, and all the players are performing well in their respective positions. This has helped the Gujarat Giants do well this season.”
A candid Abhinandan also revealed that at the ripe, young age of 19, he was a gold medal winner with India at the South Asian Games in 2018. “When I was 13 years old, I became a fan of the sport of Kho Kho. I used to play in my hometown Kolhapur (Maharashtra). When I was 19 years old, I won the Gold medal with the Indian national team at the South Asian Games,” he said.
He also spoke up about his time with the Railways, saying, “At the age of 21, I started playing with Indian Railways. If not for Kho Kho, I would have been working in the Indian Railways department at Bilaspur as a Junior Clerk. But when we have to play for the Senior Nationals, the Railways give up enough time to practice, so we reward them with medals at the major tournaments.”
Playing the Adani Sportsline-owned Gujarat Giants for a second straight season, Abhinandan is grateful for the support of the coaching staff, especially head coach Sanjeev Sharma, “Playing for the Gujarat Giants in this league, I have been able to support my family as well. They are also very accepting of me playing Kho Kho. I would also like to thank my Gujarat Giants coach, especially Sanjeev sir. They have helped me improve as a player.”
Concluding on a positive note, Abhinandan wants more youngsters to avail of the facilities that he has currently, and make more Kho Kho stars like him, “I want to help the young up-and-coming boys in my ground and make them into sportspersons like me by providing them with the same kind of facilities and supporting them as much as I can.”
