The Maharashtra State Kabaddi Association (MSKA) will observe Kabaddi Day on Friday, the birth anniversary of late Shankarrao Salvi, a former India player and coach. Salvi, who passed away in 2007 at the age of 75, also served as president of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India. There will also be a felicitation function for players, umpires and administrators after MSKA’s annual general meeting at Balewadi, Pune, today.

Maharashtra has traditionally been a powerhouse in kabaddi, but in the last few years, they have not been too successful. Maharashtra won their last men’s senior national kabaddi title at Hyderabad in 2018. Former India captains Raju Bhavsar and Pankaj Shirsat believe MSKA should plan better if the state needs to regain its lost glory. “MSKA needs to have a more effective selection policy wherein talented youngsters are picked early and then groomed through training and developmental schemes to win laurels at the senior level. We should have at least four or five camps a year across age groups, right from sub-junior, junior to senior men and women,” Bhavsar told mid-day on Thursday.

Also Read: Watch: 94 year-old Bhagwani Devi celebrates upon return after winning gold medal