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The 21st Commonwealth Games are less than a month away and preparations of all the participating countries have reached the final stages. The 12-day long event will take place at Gold Coast, Australia. India has always been a force to reckon in the Commonwealth Games. In the last edition of the Games held at Glasgow, Scotland, India finished 5th in the medals tally with 15 Gold, 30 Silver and 19 Bronze medals. It was a brilliant show put up by the Indian athletes and they will look to continue it in this edition as well.
Here, we take a look at five sports in which India has maximum chances of winning medals.
#5 Boxing
Indian boxers had a mediocre tournament four years ago at Glasgow. India won 5 medals, but weren't able to convert their 4 Silver medals into Gold. However, this time India has named a strong squad which has a perfect balance of youth and experience.
In the Men's category, seasoned campaigner Manoj Kumar will look to win a Gold medal for the country in what could be his last Commonwealth Games. India's top medal hopefuls will be Vikas Krishan in 75kg category and 2014 Commonwealth Games Bronze medalist Satish Kumar in super heavy-weight category.
Among the young boxers, Amit Panghal can win a medal in his first Commonwealth Games. In the Women's category, the experienced duo of MC Mary Kom and Laishram Sarita Devi will be India's top medal prospects. With the kind of talent that the boxing team possesses, 2-3 Gold medals isn't a far-fetched dream.
#4 Weight-lifting
Weight-lifting isn't the most talked about sport in the country, but it has certainly brought a lot of plaudits when it comes to winning medals at the Commonwealth Games. At the last Commonwealth Games, India won 14 medals in Weight-lifting which also included 3 Gold medals.
This time 8 men and 7 women weightlifter have qualified for the event. Sathish Sivalingam, who won the Gold medal in 77kg category at Glasgow, will represent the country again in the same category. In the Women's category, Mirabai Chanu will look to repeat the splendid performance that won her the Gold medal at Glasgow.
Along with Sathish and Chanu, all eyes will be on Vikas Thakur and Mirabai Chanu Saikhom, both of whom won silver medals in their respective categories at Glasgow.
#3 Badminton
Even though India won four medals at Glasgow, they must have been disappointed with their performance. With Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu in the ranks, the Indian contingent was expected to win more than one Gold medal. Ironically, the only Gold medalist for India at the event, Parupalli Kashyap won't be part of the Indian squad this time.
However, with Srikanth Kidambi, Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu in top form, India can hope to better their medal tally in badminton int Gold Coast. Apart from these star players, HS Prannoy and Ashwini Ponnappa have also performed well of late and have an outside chance of winning medals. Overall, India has selected a strong squad for the event and we might see a lot of podium finishes in Badminton.
#2 Wrestling
Wrestling has always been India's strength when it comes to the Commonwealth Games. In the last Commonwealth Games, India won 13 medals including 5 Gold medals, the most in any Sport in 2014. The wrestling team will look to keep its strong record at the Commonwealth Games intact.
In the Men's category, the ever dependable Sushil Kumar will represent the country in the 74kg category while Bajrang Kumar will look to go a step higher and better his Silver medal winning performance back in 2014.
In the Women's category, Babita Kumari and Vinesh Phogat will compete in the 53kg and 50kg category respectively. Giving them company will be Olympic Bronze medal winner Sakshi Malik, who will fight in the 62kg category. A good show from all these wrestlers is expected.
#1 Shooting
Shooting has been India's forte in the Commonwealth Games. Indian shooters have always brought glory to the nation by their terrific performance. The 2014 Commonwealth Games were no different as India won 17 medals, which included 4 Gold, 9 Silver and 4 Bronze medals in shooting.
India will try to extend their terrific run in shooting at Gold Coast as well. India's top medal prospect in the men's category will be the army-man Jitu Rai. Jitu Rai is amongst the best in the world and will look to dominate the pistol events in this Commonwealth Games. Other medal hopefuls in the Men's category are Olympic Bronze Medalist Gagan Narang, Chain Singh, Sanjeev Rajput and the experienced Manavjit Singh Sandhu.
In the Women's category, Apurvi Chandela will shoulder the responsibility along with Heena Sidhu and Tejaswini Sawant. A good show from Indian shooters will have a huge bearing on India's position in the medals tally.
