Dhaka, Jan 21 (bdnews24.com) – The Bangladesh national Kabaddi team leave here for India Monday to take part in the World Cup with the hope of playing the semifinals.
"Though we are yet to know who are going to be our opponents in the group matches, but we are confident that we will play in the semifinals," coach Abdul Jalil told bdnews24.com Sunday.
The 16-team World Cup will begin on January 24 in the Indian state of Maharastha and the grouping will be decided in a managerial meeting Tuesday.
Sixteen teams in four groups will play the group matches and top team of each group will book their semifinals berths.
Jalil, however, is not satisfied with the 15-day preparation that had started on the Taekwondo mat at the National Sport Council gymnasium on January 6.
"We didn't take proper training in the ways it should have needed," Jalil said adding that their first target is to play the semifinal.
"If Bangladesh could avoid holders India in the semifinal, it would play the final," said the coach.
Bangladesh, which achieved bronze medal in Asiad in last December, quit from the semifinal losing to Iran in the last edition World Cup in 2004, also in India.
Participating teams are India, Iran, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the West Indies, Germany, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, Kazakhstan, England, South Korea, Thailand and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh squad: Ziaur Rahman (captain), Kamal Hossain, Al Mamun, Tariqul Islam, Mozammel Haq, Mosharraf Hossain, Abdur Rouf, Abu Saleh Musa, Raju Ahmed and Badsha Mia.
bdnews24.com/ar/ah/1925 hrs
