New Delhi: Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker headlines the 30-member Indian team for the Asian Games announced on Thursday. The two other Olympic medallists, Swapnil Kusale and Sarbjot Singh (who won in mixed team with Manu), did not make the team finalised after an exhaustive selection process based on performances in a series of domestic trials and international tournaments. The selection committee picked the final team.
The big surprise was air pistol world champion Samrat Rana failing to make the team. Samrat has been inconsistent this season and is placed 8th in the ranking after the fourth selection trial in Dehradun last week.
Interestingly, the three top-ranked shooters picked — Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve, Gaurav and Kamaljeet — haven’t had any international exposure this season. Their strong showing in domestic trials saw them finish ahead of big guns like Samrat, Sarabjot and world championships medallist Varun Tomar. The selected air pistol shooters will get their first exposure at the ISSF World Cup in China from July 20-29.
Also, the selectors went with only Anish Bhanwala — the world championships silver medallist in rapid fire pistol. With fewer quotas (15 men and 15 women) this time, the search was for common shooters who could compete in two events. It was a difficult task to find quality shooters for both air pistol and rapid fire. This means India will not be able to compete in the rapid fire team event that requires three shooters. Last time, India won a bronze in the rapid fire team event.
“This is the best we could have picked considering every parameter,” said pistol coach Samresh Jung . “The air pistol team will compete in the World Cup in China before the Asian Games and that will serve as exposure for them,” said the former international shooter.
Overall, four shooters will compete in two disciplines: Manu Bhaker and world championships bronze medallist Esha Singh in pistol events and Vidarsa K Vinod and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil in rifle events.
While Manu is placed second in ranking behind Esha in 25m, she is seventh in 10m air pistol — the event where she won the Olympic bronze. Manu, however, is the best common shooter available who made the cut for two disciplines.
NRAI said that given the 30-shooter cap, the selection committee conducted a detailed evaluation to ensure the final squad provides India with the strongest possible representation and the best opportunity for competitive success across disciplines.
“Selecting this team was a challenging task given the exceptional depth and quality of talent in Indian shooting,” said NRAI President Kalikesh Singh Deo.
India team for Asian Games
10M Air Rifle Men: Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon
Rudrankksh Patil
10M ARW: Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Vidarsa K Vinod
50M 3P Men: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar
Rudrankksh Patil
50M 3P Women: Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa K Vinod, Tilottama Sen
10M AP Men: Kedarling B Uchaganve, Gaurav, Kamaljeet
10M AP Women: Suruchi, Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker
25M rapid fire: Anish Bhanwala
25M Sports pistol: Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat
10M AR Mixed: Parth Mane, Elavenil
10M AP Mixed: Kedarling B Uchaganve, Suruchi
Shotgun squad
Trap Men: Kynan Chenai, Ahvar Rizvi, Shapath Bharadwaj
Trap Women: Neeru, Manisha Keer, Aashima Ahlawat
Skeet Men: Anantjeet Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Mairaj Ahmad Khan
Skeet Women: Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan
