Patna: Vindicating the growing prowess of Bihar athletes in multiple sports, eight rugby players from the state will represent India at the Under-18 Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens tournament, to be held in Qingdao, China, on Sept 5-6.In fact, Rohit Kumar and Saloni Kumari — both hailing from Bihar — will be leading the Indian men’s and women’s teams, respectively, in the continental meet that will be participation from nine countries.Apart from the skippers, the Indian squads also include Bihar’s Beauty Kumari, Pawan Kumar, Ati Kumari, Shubham Kumar, Simran Parveen, and Bajrangi Kumar. All of them will take the field in national colour and showcase their talent alongside Asia’s top Under-18 players.Players from Bihar have previously been part of the Indian U 18 rugby team with the state athletes, including Rohit, having represented India in the Asia Rugby Under-18 competition in 2024.Sports minister Shreyasi Singh expressed her happiness and extended her best wishes to the eight selected players and said it was a matter of pride for the state to have its players represent India at an Asian-level competition. She added that the fact that Rohit and Saloni have been appointed captains demonstrates that players from Bihar are establishing a strong identity not only at national level but also on the international stage.“The state govt is continuously working to provide players with better training, sports facilities, and the necessary opportunities to participate in competitions,” she said.
