Jabalpur Kids Make A Name For Themselves In Sepak Takraw
Sepak is a Malay term that means kicking, while Takraw is a Thai word referring to a woven ball made of rattan or plastic.
Published : January 10, 2026 at 2:45 PM IST
Jabalpur: Children from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh are making a name for themselves in an exotic sport that originated in Southeast Asia. Vanshika Patel and Arnav Gupta are scheduled to join the Indian Sepak Rakraw team to play international matches. Both of them have played in five national-level tourneys till now.
Sepak Takraw is fast becoming a popular sport at an international level. Sepak is a Malay term that means kicking. Meanwhile, Takraw is a Thai word referring to a woven ball made of rattan or plastic. It is played between two teams of two to four players on a court that resembles a badminton court. It is often referred to as a mix of volleyball, for its use of a net, and association football.
Meanwhile, another player from Jabalpur, Khushboo Sahu, said, "This game isn't as popular or simple as other sports. A unique plastic ball is kicked with the feet and head. A player can hit a ball three times, but the condition is that they can't touch the ball with their hands."
Vanshika, at the age of 17, has emerged as an expert in this sport. She pointed out, "There was a discussion about scale in my school where I first heard about this sport. It is played on the MLB school grounds in Jabalpur."
But attending daily practice is not an easy task for Vanshika, as in her neighbourhood of Mother Teresa Nagar, there are no players. Besides, people also discouraged her.
She managed to convince her family that she be allowed to join a team at MLB Grounds located at a distance of 7 km from her house. She regularly travels to the ground in an autorickshaw.
"I want to be a member of the Indian national team and make a name for myself in this sport," she said. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Arnav has also emerged as a good player. He has played four national-level tournaments.
He is disappointed that the sport is not currently included in the Olympics. "However, there are international competitions for it. I am hoping that I will participate in one of these very soon," he said.
The growing popularity of the sport is attracting many youngsters to its domain, and the day is not far when it will be played in various cities of the country.
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