Following their best-ever performance at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year, India will be looking to put their best foot forward at the Commonwealth Games, which begins on July 28 in Birmingham.
With the Asian Games postponed until 2023, India’s top athletes will be in Birmingham, competing for national honours. India finished third in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, with 66 medals, including 26 gold medals – their second-best showing at the Games since India won 101 medals at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.
However, with shooting being removed from the list of sports for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, India’s medal count is likely to suffer. Notably, India has 135 medals out of 503 won in shooting across all CWG editions.
Nonetheless, all eyes will be on India’s rising stars as the country attempts to make a name for itself in Birmingham over the next few days. Parimatch News examines the county’s top medal prospects for the CWG 2022 in Birmingham –
#7 Nikhat Zareen (Boxing)
Nikhat Zareen has a lot of potential to become India’s next big boxing superstar. The young pugilist will compete in the 50kg category at the Commonwealth Games, which will be a great opportunity for her to step out of Mary Kom’s shadow.
Nikhat could not have had better preparations, as the Telangana boxer won the world championships title in Istanbul in May, just months after winning a historic second gold medal at the Strandja Memorial Tournament.
Along with Nikhat, bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain from the Tokyo Olympics will be looking to add to India’s medal tally in boxing in Birmingham. Lovlina will compete in the 70kg weight class at the CWG 2022.
#6 Ravi Dahiya (Wrestling)
Ravi Dahiya is the favorite to win Gold in the 57 Kg Wrestling category
Ravi Dahiya had flown under the radar prior to the Tokyo Olympics, but his silver-medal performance last year turned heads. By winning the national trials in New Delhi, the genuine wrestling superstar qualified for the Commonwealth Games in the 57kg category.
Ravi began his preparations for the CWG by winning gold at the Asian Wrestling Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
All eyes will also be on Bajrang Punia, who will be attempting to defend his Commonwealth Games title and win his third medal of the Games. Bajrang won bronze in Tokyo, but he’ll want to signal his intentions for Paris 2024 with a strong performance in Birmingham.
#5 Mirabai Chanu (Weightlifting)
With 125 medals in the Games’ history, India is one of the most successful nations in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games.
Indian weightlifters dominated the 2018 Gold Coast Games, taking home nine medals, including five golds. With 15 weightlifters travelling to Birmingham, India will be hoping for another successful performance.
Mirabai Chanu will almost certainly win a gold medal in Birmingham, her third CWG medal.
#4 Indian Cricket Team
The Indian Cricket team would be one of the medal contenders in the 2022 CWG
T20I Cricket will be making its debut in the Commonwealth Games this year and so does Women’s Cricket. Harmanpreet Kaur will be leading the Indian team and are grouped alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, World Champions Australia, and Barbados in Group A.
The side will be boasting some of the best talents of the Modern Era as players like Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and Pooja Vastrakar will leave their mark on the initial Women’s Cricket event in the Commonwealth Games.
Winning gold in the women’s T20 competition, which will be played at the CWG in 2022, would be a tall order for India. In all likelihood, it would have to face home favourites England in the semi-finals. If they beat England, they’d have to face Australia in the final, and beating Australia in knockouts is almost as difficult as climbing Everest, but Indian women have done it before.
If they win the gold, it would be a massive upset, but we cannot rule them out. The Women in Blue are most likely to play New Zealand for a bronze medal game if India succumbs in the semi-final.
#3 PV Sindhu (Badminton)
India’s badminton players will be hoping for a successful Commonwealth Games. Following the success of the men’s team in the Thomas Cup, the Asian giants will look to defend the mixed team gold medal they won in 2018.
India will be without 2018 women’s singles gold medallist Saina Nehwal, but the spotlight will be on PV Sindhu, who is aiming for her third consecutive CWG medal after bronze in 2014 and silver in 2018. Sindhu is expected to not face any difficult tests, but she will keep an eye on Kirsty Gilmour and Michelle Li.
Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, and HS Prannoy will be looking to capitalise on their recent form at CWG, but they will face stiff competition in the men’s singles field from Loh Kean Yew and Lee Zii Jia. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, a doubles pairing, are also in contention for a gold medal in Birmingham.
#2 Neeraj Chopra (Javelin Throw)
India’s best hope for a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games is without a doubt Tokyo Olympics hero Neeraj Chopra. The javelin thrower has been preparing for the Games in Birmingham by regularly breaking his own national records. He will be eager to defend his gold medal from 2018.
At the Diamond League in Stockholm in June, the Haryana athlete broke his own national record with a personal best throw of 89.94m. The Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo missed the 90m mark by a whisker, but he will be determined to finish on the top step of the podium.
In Birmingham, Neeraj who is currently competing at the Athletics World Championships, will face a stiff test from reigning world champion Anderson Peters, who has a season-best throw of 93.07m. Notably, Peters finished the Stockholm Diamond League ahead of Neeraj with another 90-plus throw.
Peters finished third in the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a throw of 82.20m, while Neeraj won gold with a throw of 86.47m.
#1 Indian Hockey Team
Indian Men’s Hockey Team won bronze in the 2020 Olympics
There is something about team sports that gives a different hit than perhaps any other sport. An experienced squad has been picked and the core of the side that clinched a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics is intact.
The men’s hockey side did reach the finals of the 2010 and 2014 editions of the Commonwealth Games but on both occasions, they were defeated by Australia. They would have plenty to prove when they take the field in the Birmingham Games.
The Indian men’s team would compete for gold against Australia, the reigning silver medallist from the Tokyo Olympics. India won bronze at the same event by defeating Germany, and thus has the pedigree to trouble, if not defeat, the Australians.
Though the Indian women’s team did not advance to the last eight of the Women’s Hockey World Cup 2022, they put on a fantastic performance. They drew with England and China in the group stage before losing 3-4 to New Zealand due to a late goal.
Even in the crossover game against Spain, they were defeated 0-1, courtesy of a goal in the 57th minute. As a result, while not a gold medal contender, the Indian women’s hockey team can surprise everyone on their day.