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Indian women's rugby team skipper Vahbiz Bharucha, who will lead Maharashtra at the National Games 2022, has stated that her team is pumped to make waves at the tournament.
Bharucha believes that rugby has gained in popularity in the country since it made its debut at the 2015 National Games in Kerala. Speaking at a media interaction ahead of the sporting extravagenza, she opined that the sport had successfully penetrated into the grassroots levels:
“Women’s rugby, especially, has caught on across the country and is no longer played in small pockets. Young girls are playing it, not just for fun but also with a degree of seriousness.”
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Read: National Games 2022: Full schedule, list of sports, venues and dates
Rugby 7s is scheduled to be held from September 28 to 30 at TransStadia in Ahmedabad.
“It may only be the second time that this version of rugby has been a part of the Games,” she added.
“It was added at the last moment in 2015. We didn’t know what to expect and just turned up. It was only when we reached Kerala that the magnitude of the event struck us. Since then, rugby 7s among women has grown tremendously.”
Maharashtra all set to compete with rigor at National Games 2022
Although the Gujarat government stepped in to host the National Games 2022 at the last moment, Bharucha said teams had little time to get everything in place.
She added, however, that the teams did get a reasonable amount of time to prepare for the sporting extravagenza. Bharucha, a practicing sports physiotherapist, stated that her team is excited to be a part of the spectacle.
“But we still had a reasonable amount of time to prepare. We are all excited to come and compete along with India’s star athletes,” she said.
She also said Maharashtra is keen to perform to its potential and extend its stay at this year's Games and progress to the final.
“We are looking forward to giving off our best. The team is a little hurt after finishing fourth in the National Championships last month and we want to make ammends,” she said.
Also read: Kabaddi schedule at National Games 2022: Full list of teams and match timings in IST
Bihar, who went on to win the National Championships at the Pataliputra Sports Complex in Patna, surprised Maharashtra 24-17 in the semi-finals. Maharashtra then went on to lose the bronze medal play-off to Odisha 12-24.
“We want to get back to where we belong - in the final,” Bharucha concluded.
The National Games 2022 will begin on September 27.
