Indian senior men rugby team, featuring four players from Odisha, won the silver medal at the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy (AREST) after losing to Kazakhstan 0-27 in the lop-sided final in Muscat, Oman today. The four Odisha players were: Ganesh Dhangada Majhi, Jugal Kishore Majhi, Shanawaz Ahmed and Asis Sabar.

The runners-up finish helped India to secure promotion to the Asia Rugby Sevens Series 2026 season, where they will compete against top teams of Asia including Japan, China, Hong Kong China and Sri Lanka.

Coached by former England star Ben Gollings, the Indian team began their Pool-C league campaign with a spirited 14-10 comeback victory over Lebanon, followed by a 26-5 win against Afghanistan to conclude the group stage.

They carried that momentum into the knockout rounds, defeating Iran 21-7 in the quarterfinals on Day 1, before producing a clinical 17-0 semifinal victory against Saudi Arabia to book their place in the final.

INDIA MEN RUGBY 7S TEAM: Prashant Singh (Captain), Deepak Punia (Vice-Captain), Hitesh Dagar, Sumit Kumar Roy, Ganesh Dhangada Majhi, Karan Rajbhar, Asis Sabar, Javen Hussein, Deshraj Singh, Gaurav Kumar, Jugal Majhi, Shanawaz Ahmed, Shivam Shukla. Head Coach: Ben Gollings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Odisha players (L-R) Ganesh Dhangada Majhi, Jugal Kishore Majhi, Asis Sabar and Shanawaz Ahmed pose with the tricolor and their silver medals at the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy in Muscat on 26 October 2025.