Why ‘Silver Lining’ Just Wouldn’t Cut It Anymore For Sonali Shingate

Four editions; three gold medals and one silver. The only time India’s women did not return with the title at the Asian Games kabaddi competition was in 2018. Unfortunately for Sonali Shingate, that’s the one occasion she was part of the team.

Stung by the defeat to Iran in the final at Jakarta, the raider waited five whole years, and was selected in the Indian squad for the Covid-delayed 2023 Hangzhou Games. Cruel as fate can be, Shingate suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in practice, 10-odd days before the event. The golden dream stood dashed again.

Three years hence, the 30-year-old is out seeking fulfillment in 2026. She has kick-started the quest in right earnest, as captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2025 Asian Championship in Tehran and then a member of the World Cup-winning outfit in Dhaka. The woman from Mumbai is now sweating it out with fellow probables at the national camp, held by Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and Mashal Sports, at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Bellary between March 27 and April 2.

Preparatory camps are nothing new for the experienced player, but the latest one stands out. Calling the facilities at IIS “India’s best”, Shingate tells Outlook: “In all the camps I have been part of in my career, I have never seen such a campus, nor have I seen such facilities.”

She also finds the specialized training sessions particularly useful and novel. “In the morning, we had fun games for workout before a track session. Then there was an educational session in which we were taught about recovery, supplements and anti-doping guidelines.”

A gym session followed in the afternoon, where strength and conditioning were the focal points. “We were taught all the exercises of power workout like box jumps, hang high pulls, squats and deadlifts for strength. In conditioning we did cycling and rowing, which were new for us. These elements are not part of India camps usually,” she explains.

The drills they were taught in track sessions were also unknown to most of the players. Furthermore, they learnt the utility of these drills in gameplay, viz speed and faster movement. For recovery the players had ice baths, sauna baths and swimming in the evening.

Injury management was as much an objective as performance improvement. “We were taught to do smart work, rather than hard work. They explained to us how we needed to do only a specific amount and type of workout for body warm-up.

“Coming to strength and conditioning, those workouts will not only make you stronger but also help prevent injury. If your muscles are strong, they will protect you from injuries on the mat. The supplements are taken to aid body recovery. If the body is sore after one training session, we can employ those modes of recovery to be fresh for the next one,” the senior pro adds.

From Probables To Squad Members

For the probables, the road to selection is hardly straightforward. “In camps, we have to perform everyday to prove ourselves, as all the players invited are creme de la creme and to excel among them, we have to show it through our superior gameplay.”

Seniority is also a factor in deciding the final combination, as stuffing the squad with youngsters does not always work. You need some veterans who can quickly gauge the match situation in tense moments and explain it effectively to teammates.

Shingate has lived many such moments against top-notch international teams.

At last year’s Asian Championship, India took on Iran in the summit clash; Chinese Taipei, who the Railways player deems as “India’s biggest challenger” at the upcoming Asiad, did not participate in the tournament. India did beat Chinese Taipei in the 2025 World Cup final to clinch gold though, so there’s no cause to be unduly daunted.

Women's League Not Far Away

Zooming out to the future of the women’s game, Sonali hopes that a league analogous to the men’s massively successful Pro Kabaddi League will start in the coming 1-2 years. She passionately argues the case for it.

“People say that there are not enough players for a women’s league but I don’t agree. If you look at the recently held Federation Cup, where the top eight teams compete, the matches were of high quality. So if you similarly need eight teams for the league, the addition of top international players from Chinese Taipei and Iran to the Indian bunch should make for a good roster.”

When not brooding about the sport, the Mumbaikar, a “big Shiva devotee”, reads books pertaining to Him and Parvati to calm her mind. She also has an affinity for Osho’s teachings, which she reads to “think out of the box”. After almost a decade of experience at the highest level, few would know its importance in elite sport better than Shingate.