The Kho Kho World Cup is in its inaugural edition in India, but Argentina’s captain Mariano Pascual has been at a World Cup in India before.
That was in 2016 when Pascual was part of Argentina’s kabaddi team for the third edition of the World Cup in Ahmedabad. It wasn’t a particularly memorable campaign, as the South American country lost all five matches to finish bottom of Pool A, but it was the beginning of Pascual’s tryst with tag games that have their roots in India.
Pascual was 22 years old and had little experience with kabaddi at the time. Now 31, he is captain of Argentina’s kabaddi team. At this opening edition of the Kho Kho World Cup, he was also entrusted with the responsibility of leading his countrymen.
Another common link between the two teams is coach Ricardo Acuna, who was instrumental in drawing Pascual to kabaddi a few months before the 2016 World Cup.
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“I have been playing kabaddi for Argentina since 2016. And I have been playing kho kho professionally over the past year,” Pascual, who works as a physical education teacher at a high school back home, told Sportstar. “Kabaddi and kho kho are similar in terms of pursuit, escape, agility and leg speed. But kho kho requires more endurance than kabaddi.”
As the conversation veered towards football, a sport that is ubiquitous in Argentina, Pascual flashed a broad smile. Like most Argentinians, Pascual played football as a child. He was a right-back for Argentinos Juniors, the club that Diego Maradona made his professional debut for, at the age-group levels. But belonging to O’Brien, a small town 300 kilometres from Buenos Aires, he wasn’t able to reach the highest level.
“I was a footballer at amateur level. Everyone plays football in Argentina. I tried to enter professional football, but it was very hard in terms of money to keep trying. I was also living in a small town, far away from the city where there are more chances to make the cut. So I couldn’t keep on trying. When I discovered kabaddi, I fell in love with it,” he said.
Asked to choose between Maradona and Lionel Messi, he quickly responds: “Maradona. I love both, but Maradona was my idol. Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors. I played for Argentinos Juniors and supported Boca Juniors.”
Can kho kho also gain popularity in his homeland? “We know that many countries had a lot more preparation time for this World Cup, but Argentinians can be good at a lot of sports. We just need time. I know that we can evolve in kho kho,” he said.
