INDONESIA: The Indian contingent on Saturday has reached Jakarta for the 18th Asian Games. The contingent consists of 804 athletes and officials. The opening ceremony will be held at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) main stadium in Jakarta. The ceremony will start at 5.30 pm IST.
The 18th Asian Games will stand as a reality check for the Indian athletes who are recovering from the Commonwealth Games high.
India notched up their second best medal tally of all time at Gold Coast CWC 2018. India will be competing with teams such as China, Japan and Korea in the Asiad.
Th build-up for the Indian contingent has been rather chaotic with controversies over the size of the contingent and complaints around the selection procedures but nevertheless, this has not dampened the spirit of Indian athletes.
The contenders range from a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Haryana in Manu Bhaker (shooting) to the proven-but-struggling Sushil Kumar (wrestling) to the in-form and consistently rising to new heights, Neeraj Chopra (Javelin Throw).
Then there are the likes of Hima Das, a sprint sensation who has raised hopes by becoming the first Indian woman to claim a world championships gold, albeit in the under-20 competition.
On to the badminton court where PV Sindhu would be hoping to break her final jinx.
Saina Nehwal’s grit and ability to bring her A game to the table on the big stage can never be discounted but it remains to be seen how her body responds to what has been a grueling season so far. Along with K Srikkanth and HS Prannoy, they are among those expected to contribute to India’s medal tally.
India can also hope for a good show on the wrestling mat where the inf-rom duo of Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat are being seen as sure-shot medal hopes.
Punia not only won a gold at CWG but also emerged champion at Tbilisi Grand Prix and Yasar Dogu International in the run-up to the Jakarta Games.
However, it’s redemption time for a few struggling stars. Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar and Sakshi Malik are not in the best of form. Sushil recently lost his first bout in four years at the Tbilisi GP in Georgia and Sakshi failed to reach the medal round at Yasar Dogu in Istanbul.
Their reputations are at stake and nothing less than a gold will be able to redeem those.
The men’s hockey team will be aiming for a gold and a direct entry into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The team, which recently ended runner-up to Australia at the Champions Trophy, does not have many tough nuts to crack and it will only be a disaster if it returns without gold.
The women’s team missed out on a historic place in the world cup semifinals but the Rani Rampal-led side is expected to fare better and improve upon its bronze-medal show in Incheon.
At the shooting ranges of Palembang, Manu will hold centre stage and given her form, it would be a surprise if she lets the spotlight shift anywhere else.
The boxing arena will have some strong Indian presence too with the likes of Vikas Krishan, Shiva Thapa and the fast-rising Gaurav Solanki presenting India’s men’s challenge. Among the women, world silver-medallist Sarjubala Devi will be a medal hope.
The tennis contingent is already grappling with the kind of drama that has become its trademark at every major event.
The last-minute pullout by Leander Paes for not getting a “specialist” men’s doubles partner means that coach-sum-captain Zeeshan Ali has to re-work combinations in men’s and mixed doubles.
How this move by the veteran star affects the campaign will be interesting to see.
In the absence of world champion Mirabai Chanu, India’s challenge has weakened in weightlifting.
There will be some interesting sports to track too in pencak silat, an Indonesian indigenous martial arts form, and bridge. India will be there to contest but medal prospects are not too clear.
