21 September,2016 04:08 PM IST | | Subodh Mayure
Indian team announced for next month's Kabaddi World Cup has no players from Maharashtra despite there being six state players in the 26 probables
Indian captain Anup Kumar shares the dias with chief guest Kapil Dev during the team announcement yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde
Indian captain Anup Kumar shares the dias with chief guest Kapil Dev during the team announcement yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde
The Indian team for the upcoming Kabaddi World Cup was announced yesterday, but not even a single player from Maharashtra was included in the side despite having six players in the list of 26 probables. The team, led by raider Anup Kumar, will begin their title defence on October 7 in Ahmedabad.
Maharashtra's contribution to the sport has been significant. Under the leadership of Mumbai's Pankaj Shirsat, India won the 2007 edition, defeating Iran in the final at Panvel. That team also saw two other players from the state - Dinesh Kumar and Gaurav Shetty. Arjuna awardee Raju Bhavsar was astonished when the announcement was made.
"Taking into consideration the status of Maharashtra, at least one player should have been selected. I thought Kashiling Adake would find a place. If you look at the other players, almost all are from Haryana," Bhavsar told mid-day.
He also suggested the Maharashtra State Kabaddi Association (MSKA) to find out the reason why state players are unable to find a place in the national team. "Have our standards dipped, or has our (MSKA) relationship with the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India turned sour?" Bhavsar asked.
Dombivli resident Nilesh Shinde, who led Bengal Warriors in all four seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League, was hoping for a call. "I am 35 now. If I was selected it would have been a big achievement for me, but that didn't happen," Shinde rued.
