Gurugram, Sept. 26 -- At 17, Haryana's Nikita Kumari made a memorable senior debut for India, delivering a crucial performance in the final as the women's kabaddi team defeated Iran to win gold at the international tournament on Saturday.

For Nikita, who is among the youngest members of the Indian squad representing the country at the International level, Kabaddi was never just a sport she discovered later in life. It was part of her surroundings.

Nikita started playing Kabaddi at the age of eight. Her coach, Sunil Dabad, believes that her surroundings and early entry into the sports helped her build mental toughness that Nikita now displays on the international stage.

"In the villages of Haryana, most children grow up playing kabaddi....