It’s that time of year again when Indian athletes expect male cricketers will be receiving the spotlight and attention they deserve all year.
The Indian Commonwealth contingent of 215 athletes will look to capitalize on their outstanding performances at the Olympics earlier this year. With the Asian Games being postponed until next year, Indian athletes will have a chance to make a lasting impression and get their name in the record books.
Women’s cricket will also make its Commonwealth Games breakthrough, with old rivals India and Pakistan clashing at the Edgbaston on July 31. Indian Women will face stiff competition against Australia & England for the medal in Cricket
Let’s take a look at some of the stars who are currently in the best form of their lives and are likely to lead to India’s medal tally.
Neeraj Chopra
After his heroics in the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra has become a household name, and the entire nation is expecting him to win a medal in the upcoming CWG. Haryana native javelin thrower has recently broken his own National Record. He set a personal best throw of 89.94m in the recently concluded Diamond League in Stockholm.
Neeraj’s path to a medal will be difficult as he will be competing against Grenada’s reigning world champion, Anderson Peters. Notably, Peters finished the Stockholm Diamond League ahead of Neeraj with another 90-plus throw.
In the midst of it all, Neeraj is the reigning CWG champion and an Olympic gold medalist, so he has confidence and 1.5 billion prayers on his side.
PV Sidhu
Sindhu will be competing in her third CWG and she had won medals in each of the tournaments. She’ll be eying for the Gold after winning Bronze in 2014 and silver in 2018.
Sindhu will have a comparatively easy time because she will not be up against any Japanese or Chinese players. She’ll be keeping an eye on Kirsty Gilmour and Michelle Li.
The Indian Men’s team will be bolstered by their recent success in the Thomas Cup. They’ll also be looking to defend their mixed team gold medal from 2018.
Manika Batra
Who can forget Manika Batra’s dream run on the Gold Coast in 2018? Despite all odds, Batra won the historic Gold medal and will be looking to defend her title.
She has matured as a player, and her recent Olympic experience will be crucial in the upcoming CWG. With Manika also competing in the team events,
India will be hoping for strong performances from G Sathiyan, who has grown leaps and bounces with every match, and seasoned veteran Sharath Kamal, who will be looking to add to his tally of 8 CWG medals.
