Page 22 - CONNECT 2023-24
P. 22

Indoor Sports in India





                                                                                                - Shreya Shewale

       Words  like  “games”  and  “sport”  are                   were swords, batons, coins, and cups, which
       mentioned relating to India, at once such                 are still used in some countries. India China
       sports as cricket, football, hockey, and other            and  Korea  also  have  traditional  packs  of
       high-ranking sports with a huge following in              playing cards. The Indian cards are usually
       the country come to one’s mind. However,                  round, and have 8, 10 12 cards each. Chinese
       indoor games are also important as they                   playing cards are very small and narrower
       help keep people entertained without                      than European cards.
       leaving the comfort of their homes or being
       bothered by the weather. Apart from serving               Chess: Chess holds a high rank among the
       entertainment       purposes,      these     sports       most popular indoor games in India. It is a
       also help maintain mental and physical                    game that requires a high level of mental
       balance while developing valuable skills. In              ability with keen interest. It increases the
       international tournaments, indoor sports are              analytical skills of the human mind. Also, it
       highly  recognized  and  are  given  the  same            helps to enhance the ability to focus and
       priority as outdoor sports.                               be patient with players. It is widely believed
       India has been rich in indoor sports since                that Indians are  very  good at  the game
       prehistoric years. For instance, the game                 since it originated in India. Chess is played
       of chess was founded in northern India                    by two players over a board with 16 pieces
       centuries ago. Though it seems as though                  available to each. Each piece has a unique
       cricket has covered up every other sport in               characteristic and style of movement.
       India, the situation is fast changing lately              The  game’s  objective  is  to  checkmate  the
       as many indoor sports are starting to gain                opponent’s lead piece – the king.
       traction across the country. Today, various
       indoor sports have become popular in                      Kabaddi:  Kabaddi  is  another  indoor  game
       India, and notable talents in these sports                that has its roots in Tamil Nadu – ancient India.
       are beginning to emerge locally and                       It was once known as a village recreational
       internationally.                                          sport. However, through the influence of the
       Let’s  review  indoor  sports  that  are  highly          PKL  (Pro  Kabaddi  League),  the  game  has
       popular in India.                                         evolved in recent years to become one of
                                                                 India’s most loved sports – gaining massive
       Card games: Most card games are played                    enthusiasts  and followers.  India is well-
       with a pack of 52 playing cards, which are                known  for  its  outstanding  performances
       divided equally into four suits spades, clubs,            in kabaddi in the Asian Cup tournaments
       hearts, and diamonds. Each suit has the                   and Olympic games. Today, the sport is
       numbers  2  to  10  followed  by  the  picture            widely played in various institutions across
       cards – Jack, Queen, and King – and the ace               the country. Kabaddi is a game of physical
       with a single pip. In some games, the ace is              strength, stamina, and stealth. A match is
       treated as a 1, in others as better than a king.          played between two teams of around ten
       In English language packs, the picture cards              players each. The game’s duration is divided
       are  marked  J,  Q,  K  and  the  ace  A.  Playing        into two halves, with 20 minutes for each half
       cards came to Europe from the Muslim world                and a break of 5 minutes. A point is scored
       in the 14th century. At that time the suit signs          when a player from one team (known as the





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