"My father works in a flour mill, he used to drop me by bike to my ground 13 km away" - Chennai Quick Guns' Sachin Gaur discloses hardships he faced ahead of Ultimate Kho Kho 2022

Sachin Gaur, who is plying his trade for the Chennai Quick Guns at Ultimate Kho Kho 2022, disclosed the hardships that he faced growing up in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.

Coming from a lower middle-class background, Sachin did not give up on his dreams of making it big in the sport that he loves.

Speaking about his family, Sachin revealed how his father, a flour mill worker, helped him travel to and fro his practice ground, which was as many as 13 kilometers away from his house. As Sachin grew older, he undertook the journey on a bicycle himself. He stated:

“I come from a very middle-class family. My father works at a flour mill. We have struggled a lot but now thankfully, we are a little more stable. My father has always supported me fully right from the very beginning.

"My ground was around 13 kilometers away from my house and my father used to drop me off and pick me up daily by bike. He has also struggled a lot with me. As I grew a little older, I used to cycle my way to the ground."

Sachin revealed that he took up the sport in 2018 and elaborated on his journey that ultimately led to his selection for the Chennai Quick Guns in Ultimate Kho Kho 2022.

He also spoke about his stupendous performance at the Bhubaneshwar Nationals, where he scored seven attacking points in a single game. Notably, at the time, there were no bonuses available for the attackers and they fetched just one point per dismissal, irrespective of the manner in which the defender was dismissed.

“In 2018, I started playing kho kho. At the time, I could not have even imagined playing at such a level. In school, there used to be a regional competition and that is the reason I took up the sport - to play in the regionals. After that, I got selected for the State Championship and subsequently for the Nationals.

I was in the extras at Surat Nationals but at Bhubaneswar Nationals, I performed very well and I was the highest-scoring attacker. In a single match, I scored seven points while attacking. That’s why I got selected for Ultimate Kho Kho and the Chennai side picked me in the draft. Honestly, I am very happy to be a part of the Chennai Quick Guns."

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"If you play kho kho, you can play any other sport" - Sachin enumerates the importance of fitness

The 19-year-old elaborated on the importance of fitness, stating that a kho kho player is fit enough to play any other sport. He also spoke about how he used to initially play cricket but ever since his introduction to kho kho, he has only played indigenous sports.

“Before I started playing kho kho, I used to play cricket. But ever since I started playing kho kho, it is such an interesting game that you don’t need to play any other sport. If you play kho kho, you can play any other sport, whether it is basketball, football or tennis.”

Sachin also spoke about the impact of Ultimate Kho Kho on the lives of the players and how people's views regarding the sport have changed courtesy of the marquee competition.

“Any league, whether it be Ultimate Kho Kho or others, provides a platform that impacts the lives of each player that is a part of it. Earlier, kho kho was not given too much importance. They used to think that it was an indigenous sport where the youth play till the Nationals and return back home.

But now, due to Ultimate Kho Kho, we can make a name for ourselves, we can make a career for ourselves. If this generates enough TRP, there will be a bright future for this game."

Although Sachin is yet to take the mat for his side, he will certainly be looking forward to grabbing every chance that he gets to don the yellow jersey on the big stage.