Asian Games 2023: India's shooting squad analysis

The Asian Games 2023 will start on September 23 in Hangzhou, China. Among all the sports in which India will participate at the Asiad, shooting is undoubtedly one of the most notable events.

The Indian shooting contingent has produced good results in previous editions of the Asian Games and are expected to do the same this year as well. In-form shooters Rudrankksh Patil and Mehuli Ghosh among others will spearhead India's challenge at the big event.

In the men's 10m air rifle competition, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil will be India's biggest hope for a top podium finish at the Asian Games. At the 2022 ISSF World Championships in Cairo, the 19-year-old claimed gold and also secured an Olympic quota.

Other shooters to represent India in the men's 10m air rifle are Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Divyansh Singh Panwar. At the 2023 World University Games in Chengdu, China, Tomar won gold in the 10m air rifle, while Panwar took home the silver medal.

The men's 50m rifle 3-positions squad looks formidable. Swapnil Kusale will be in contention for a medal in this event. Not to forget, he sealed a Paris Olympics spot for India last year. Besides him, Akhil Sheoran who won bronze (and an Olympic quota) at the 2023 ISSF World Championships in Baku is a strong medal contender. In addition, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar will also compete in this event.

In the men's 10m air pistol competition, Sarabjot Singh, Shiva Narwal and Arjun Singh Cheema will represent the country. Amongst them, Sarabjot looks promising as he clinched gold at the ISSF World Cup 2023 in Bhopal. The other two are also talented shooters and will look to make a mark at the Asian Games.

The young squad finalized for the men's 25m rapid fire pistol looks good as well. The final list includes Vijayveer Sidhu, Anish Bhanwala and Adarsh Singh. All of them have a big opportunity to put up a great show at the upcoming Asiad. Moreover, they will get good exposure by competing against other top shooters.

Women's squad for the Asian Games 2023

Mehuli Ghosh will lead the women's 10m air rifle squad at the Asian Games 2023. At the recently concluded ISSF World Championships in Baku (Azerbaijan), she claimed a bronze medal and earned a Paris Olympics quota for India. Other shooters in this event include Ramita and Ashi Chouksey.

In women's 50m rifle 3-positions event, Sift Kaur Samra, Manini Kaushik and Ashi Chouksey will represent India. Among them, Sift Kaur Samra recently performed well at the ISSF World Championships 2023, claiming an Olympic spot for the country.

Manu Bhaker will lead the women's 25m sports pistol squad. The 21-year-old won bronze at the 2023 World Cup in Bhopal (in 25m pistol). She gained a lot of experience by participating in the Tokyo Olympics and is a medal prospect in this event. Rhythm Sangwan and Esha Singh are also a part of the 25m sports pistol squad.

Meanwhile, the women's 10m air pistol squad includes some emerging shooters like Esha Singh, Divya TS and Palak Gulia. Esha Singh, who won silver at the 2022 World Cup in Cairo (in 10m air pistol), will particularly aim to perform well at the Asiad as well.

India will also be a medal contender in the air rifle mixed team competition (Divyansh Singh Panwar and Ramita; Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Mehuli Ghosh) as well as in air pistol mixed team event (Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS; Shiva Narwal and Esha Singh).

The final squad for the Hangzhou Asian Games looks fairly competitive. The inclusion of youngsters in the shooting contingent shows the significant rise of this sport in the country. They will look to grab the opportunity and aim for a podium finish at the continental event.