Will India retain its ACHHE DIN in Glasgow !

Vijay Anand

Commonwealth games are scheduled to begin in Glasgow, Scotland from 23 July to 3 August 2014. 19^th Commonwealth Games, Delhi brought Achhe Din of India as Host Nation was positioned 2^nd in the medal tally with 101 medals (38 Gold, 27 Silver, 36 Bronze) . India is sending 224 athletes to compete in this mega event .As always, the country is pinning its hopes in fetching rich medal haul in Shooting and wrestling. In last Commonwealth Games, the Indian made history by winning 10 gold (the highest any country in the games) but currently, the squad selected for wrestling is fixed under court case. A final decision will present the real picture.
 
Shooting talent comprises of all the favourites. Last time India grabbed 14 gold (30 medals overall) in this sporting category. Gagan Narang, Abhinav Bindra and Manavjeet Sandhu are the favourites to hit the bull’s eye. Heena Sidhu is world number 1 in Air Pistol category. Recently World top seeded Jitu Rai is also the  hope for medal in Men Air Pistol .  Exclusion of Tejaswani Sawant is upsetting. Frankly, there are feeble chances of repetition of last time’s magic.
 
In Hockey, India will have to come better off Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and Malaysia. Sardara Singh is leading the side. Men in Blue can withstand the Asian winds but emerging better against the Europeans is always a tough challenge. Fairly, we can expect a medal at the most here. Indian eves are currently not in good shape. Team is maturing. Some individual talents like Ritu Rani (captain), Poonam Rani and Rani Rampal are there but the squad is a mix of old and young. Coach Neil Hawgood is expecting a top 4 finish at the most.

 
Boxing team is charged. L Devendro Singh (49kg), Shiva Thapa (52kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg), Mandeep Jangra  (69kg), Vijender Singh (75kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg), Dinesh Kumar (91kg) and Praveen More (+91kg) are members of the men’s team. All pugilists are in good shape to grab medals. Pinki Jangra is the best hope for Gold in Women’s category. She hit headlines when she defeated her ‘Didi’ Mary com in the qualifier. Sarita Devi is another medal prospect. Surely, team is likely to extend the previous mark of 3 gold medals and 4 Bronze medals.

 
Ravi Kumar (77 kg) is India’s best bet in men’s weightlifting team. He is also the captain of the contingent. Sanjita Chanu (48 kg) is another prospect for a medal. Last time, India bagged 2 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze in this discipline. A good show is again expected from 15 lifters.
 
Athletics is called ‘Jewel in the crown’ among all discipline. Mayookha Johny is clear favourite to win Gold in Long jump. She was the first athlete to qualify for Glasgow. Women’s 4x400 meter Relay, Sudha Singh, Ashwini Akunji, and P T Usha’s disciple Tintu Luka are prospects for medals. Seema Antil and Krishna Poonia will compete in Discuss but sadly, their best days are behind them. Arpinder Singh has recently broken National record in Triple jump. This Punjab lad’s rivalry with Ranjeet Maheshwari can produce more than one medal in this category. Vikas Gowda, (who finished 8th in London 12 finals) has a good chance for grabbing Gold medal. Vikas has recently touched 64.9 met and this Karnataka boy can make history at Scotland in Discuss throw.

In Badminton, we can expect for a better performance than 2-1-1-4 of Delhi 10. Saina has recently won the Australian Super Series. She should be confident after finding her lost form. Doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa can repeat the Gold touch here. P V Sindhu, P. Kashyap and Guru Saidutt have the potential to enrich the tally.
 
Swimming and Gymnastics were considered a no entry zone for India. Prashant Karmakar won in Para swimming and Ashish Kumar shocked everybody by 2 medals in Vault and Floor in Gymnastic at last edition. They are part of this squad as well. At least a medal is desired by Allahabad boy Ashish Kumar. Swimmer Sandeep Sejwal is improving and he stands a chance for a historic bronze. He has experience of World stage by being the only Indian Swimmer to qualify for London 12 and FINA World Swimming Championship at Shanghai. Andaman and Nicobar girl  Deborah is improving after every race. She is current national cycle champion and this time she is expected to rock the velodrome at Glasgow.

 
261 Gold medals are up for grab in this edition of Glasgow in 17 sports. At New Delhi in the previous edition, India broke all sorts of records in medal tally. Indian Government has set a target of 125 medals and third position overall. Crossing the tally of 38-27-36-101 will be the new benchmark. Can this be achieved? Let’s be optimistic.