India women’s kabaddi captain Pushpa Rana is confident the team can successfully defend its gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the defending champions treating the expectations surrounding them as motivation rather than pressure.
Leading a 12-member squad in her first assignment as captain, Rana said India have prepared by studying opponents, analysing past performances and addressing the areas identified by the coaching staff.
The team will begin its campaign against Bangladesh on September 21 before taking on Iran and Japan in Group A. Rana said the squad is determined to carry forward the success of previous generations.
Rana sees gold-medal expectations as motivation
India have won 11 Asian Games gold medals in kabaddi, including three in the women’s event, and will enter Aichi-Nagoya as the defending champions. At the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, India beat Chinese Taipei 26-25 in a closely fought final.
Rana said the history created by the senior players has given the current squad an added sense of responsibility, but the players are embracing that responsibility positively.
“When our seniors have already done a good job, they have made their own history, so it is up to us to maintain that momentum. So, we see it as motivation, we don’t see it as pressure. We are also working hard to maintain that momentum,” Rana said.
India also won the women’s Kabaddi World Cup in November last year, adding to the team’s confidence ahead of the Asian Games.
India step up preparations ahead of campaign
Rana said the team’s preparation has involved both match-specific training and detailed analysis of its opponents. The players have also been working on weaknesses highlighted by the coaching staff from their previous performances.
“First of all, we practise according to the situation. We also analyse the videos of the upcoming matches. Our coaches also tell us about the shortcomings of the past and what needs to be improved. And now we are working on that. I think our team is well prepared,” she said.
The captain will also have senior players to lean on as she takes charge of the side. Rana has previously served as vice-captain and said the experience of players such as Ritu Negi and Sonali Shingate will be valuable as she settles into the leadership role.
“I rely a lot on the seniors because they are already captains like Ritu Negi and Sonali Shingate. So, their advice is very important to me,” Rana said.
She also singled out Chinese Taipei as one of the teams India will need to keep an eye on, given their narrow defeat in the Hangzhou final.
Kajla hopes gold can inspire more girls
Pooja Kajla, meanwhile, believes another Asian Games gold would have significance beyond the medal itself. The Arjuna awardee said the success of Indian women across different sports can encourage more young girls to take up sport.
“First of all, it is very important to win gold at the Asian Games. Along with that, as we talk about the girls of the cricket World Cup, there are also juniors who are very inspired by the success of Indian women in sport,” Kajla said.
“If we bring gold, then small children get inspired by us and they will also ask their parents to let them play,” she added.
Kajla also credited the team’s strength and conditioning camp, organised jointly by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) and Mashal Sports, the organisers of the Pro Kabaddi League, for improving the players’ understanding of recovery.
“They gave us a few more classes on sleep and recovery. So, I got to learn a lot from there,” she said.
India begin title defence against Bangladesh
The women’s kabaddi competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will begin on September 21. India have been placed in Group A and will open their campaign against Bangladesh.
The defending champions will then face Iran on September 23 before completing their group-stage fixtures against hosts Japan on September 24. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 25, followed by the gold medal match on September 26.
India’s 12-member women’s kabaddi squad is led by Pushpa Rana and includes Ritu Negi, Sonali Shingate, Sanju Devi, Pooja Kajla, Ritu Sheoran, Jyoti Thakur, Pinki Roy, Manisha Kumari, Bhavna Thakur, Raj Rani and Nikita Kumari.
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