CHENNAI: The Indian men’s team beat Kenya 9-3 to lift the Fifth Roll Ball World Cup, at the ICF Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. This is the side’s fourth title on the trot. The women’s team lost to Kenya 2-3 and ended as runners-up.
During the meet, skipper Aditya Ganeshwade scored 100 goals at the international level. “The win was definitely deserved,” remarked Bhumidhar Barman, manager of the team. “A total of 27 countries participated in the event. It’s a game that is really fast and attractive. And such events will help increase both the popularity and the footfall for roll ball.”
It was in 2003 when Raju Dabhade, a Pune-based physical education teacher, came up with the idea of roll ball. Sustained events have seen the sport percolate into various nations around the world. Roll ball is still nascent in terms of its spread, and funding and sponsorship for teams are still hard to come by. But videos on social media have helped roll ball propagate across as many as five continents.
“More than 50 countries see roll ball events being held. In India, the sport is gaining popularity at the school level. Competitions are held there and at universities. This win will help the sport gain popularity.”