India will kick off its Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow on Thursday with a compact but effective 125-member squad aimed at maximizing its chances in heavily pared down events. The Games, which will be held from July 23 to August 2, will feature only 10 sports, forcing India to recalibrate its expectations after the huge success of the Birmingham Games four years ago.The Indian team consists of 77 men and 48 women competing in 8 individual fitness events and 5 disability events. Athletics is the backbone of the sport with 32 athletes taking part, boxing and judo have 14 each, weightlifting 12 and swimming five. tokyo olympics silver medalist mirabaichanu At the opening ceremony, Team India will serve as the flag bearer and Tokyo bronze medalist and former world boxing champion Lovlina Borgohain will carry the baton.The Indian delegation has a total of 190 members, including 125 athletes, 51 coaches and support staff and 14 special officials.Unlike Birmingham, where India fielded 210 athletes and won 61 medals, including 22 golds, Glasgow faced a very different challenge. The program has been cut to 10 from 19 in 2022, with medal-rich sports such as badminton, wrestling, hockey, table tennis, cricket and squash being omitted. These six sports accounted for 30 of the total medals won by India in Birmingham, significantly reducing the country’s traditional medal base.Despite the reduced program, India still has several real gold medal contenders. Tokyo Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra He returns to the CWG after missing Birmingham due to injury and will renew his rivalry with Pakistan’s reigning Olympic and Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem. The field also includes Sri Lanka’s world leader Rumesh Pathirage. Chopra, the 2018 champion, remains the best hope for Indian athletics.Birmingham silver medalist Murali Sreeshankar and high jumper Sarvesh Kushare have further boosted India’s ambitions in athletics. The latter set a national record of 2.31 meters last month and finished third at the Monaco Diamond League. Other important figures include Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Parul Chaudhary, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Gulveer Singh.The India Weightlifting Challenge will once again be led by Mirabai, who is bidding for his fourth CWG medal and third consecutive gold. The boxing team includes proven contenders like Lovlina, Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar and Jaismine Lamboria.The team spans generations, with the oldest athlete being 49-year-old lawn bowler Dinesh Kumar Singh and the youngest being 16-year-old paracyclist Lisha Das. Games will be held at Scotstoun Stadium, Scottish Events Campus, Glasgow International Arena and Tollcross International Swimming Centre.Ahmedabad will host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030, with Glasgow not only providing India with a medal opportunity but also a valuable learning opportunity before welcoming the sporting world home.
