India's Tokyo-bound athletes are on the home stretch in terms of preparations ahead of the Games. With each passing day, experts are predicting a richer haul of medals, compared to previous iterations. And along with it comes an overdose of pressure. Expectations are ramped up to an all-time high. While the truth might be somewhere in the middle, the addition of mixed team events might just prove to be the ace up Team India's sleeve.
The likes of Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Neeraj Chopra and Amit Panghal are expected to shoulder the majority of the medal burden but sports in which they were not given much of a chance like table tennis and archery might spring a quite memorable surprise. Add to it the mixed events in shooting, and the picture, at least on paper, looks quite rosy.
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The table tennis event at the quadrennial showpiece has traditionally been dominated by China who have claimed a whopping 28 gold since its induction in 1988. Even with promising Commonwealth and Asian Games performances, it is difficult to envisage a singles medal coming our way. Tokyo is set to witness the first-ever mixed doubles competition in Olympics history and that is India's best bet at a medal.
World No 32 and soon-to-be four-time Olympian A Sharath Kamal will combine with World No 63 Manika Batra, who is set for her second Games appearance. The duo have shown their class on the international stage overcoming current World No 8 pair and heavyweights Lee Sang-su and Jeon Ji-hee at the Asian qualification tournament in Doha where they punched their Tokyo ticket as well as at the Asian Games where the pair claimed an unlikely bronze.
There will be 16 pairs competing and with each tie being played in a knockout format, three wins is all it will take to win a medal. Both paddlers have contrasting styles -- Sharath's power game and Manika's measured approach with pimpled rubbers -- which compliment each other. Both have emerged triumphant twice under duress, something our athletes are not known for. But it will be easier said than done and Padma Shri Sharath knows how difficult it will be come July 23 but with his advancing years, the hope of a medal is something he cannot dismiss.
"In singles, it (winning a medal) would take a miracle. But in mixed, there is a definite chance. We will face the best of the best but if we keep our wits about ourselves, there is always a chance. Our game is quite difficult to read for opponents and with positive mentality and practice, impossible is nothing," was how Sharath summed up India's chances.
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Archery is yet another sport where India has never tasted success. South Korea, USA, and a few European nations have traditionally been the sport's powerhouses. Hopes were raised after the Indian men's team qualified for Tokyo following their silver medal at the World Championships a couple of years ago. But the team have not managed to perform to their potential in the two World Cups they have been to. While that does not mean we can write them off, the performance of Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari in recurve mixed team event is worth looking forward to.
Even individually, putting it beyond the newly-married couple will be a mistake. The pair have claimed three gold (Deepika won gold in Guatemala and Paris while Atanu won gold in Guatemala) so far this year in individual recurve events.
That form has seeped into the recurve mixed event where they have come into their own right in the nick of time. At the Paris World Cup, the pair got the better of heavyweights USA, which included three-time Olympic medallist Brady Ellison. They also overcame the Dutch pair of Sjef Van Den Berg and Gaby Schloesser who had won gold at the previous World Cup. The recurve mixed section in Tokyo will be contested among 16 teams.
Generally, Deepika has floundered under pressure but if anybody watched the Paris event, Atanu was pumped up and kept encouraging his teammate whereas in the team event, as the World No 1 was the senior-most archer, it was her job of keeping the morale high in the ranks. And Deepika had even mentioned how that communication has proved effective. "Winning just prior to the Olympics is a great sign. We are very comfortable with each other and communication is our strong suit and that has helped a lot." Even Atanu agreed that together they are stronger. "It feels like we are made for each other. But on the ground we are not just a couple but like other competitors, we motivate and back each other," the athlete from Kolkata added.
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Shooting is that rare sport where India can count themselves among the favourites heading to Japan. In both rifle and pistol categories, India has the world's best in their ranks. According to world rankings, there is Elavenil Valarivan, World No 1 in the women's 10m air rifle. Anjum Moudgil is World No 3 in the same event. Among men in the same discipline, Divyansh Singh Panwar is World No 2. In men's 50m rifle 3 positions, Aishwary Pratap Singh is World No 2.
In pistol events, the nation occupies the top two spots in both 10m air pistol sections -- Abhishek Verma and Saurabh Chaudhary for the men, Yashaswini Deswal and Manu Bhaker among women.
Rahi Sarnobat is World No 2 in 25m. In the most recent World Cup in Croatia, India might not have won as many medals as expected, but the scores were competitive and almost all shooters made it to the final rounds, a good sign.
Apart from the individual section, form favours the mixed team pairs. 2019 onwards, India have won nine gold, three silver and two bronze medals in rifle and pistol mixed events in the World Cups and the most successful of Indian combines, Saurabh and Manu Bhaker, have claimed five top spots and one silver. The form of champions!
"Individually, the pressure is a lot higher. But I enjoy playing in the team format. Even if you are not at the peak of your prowess, your partner is there to make sure we don't slack. That is the beauty of team events," Divyansh opined on the format.
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The list might still be added to by tennis where India came close to a medal back at the Rio Olympics where Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna faltered in the bronze medal play-off but there is a lot of uncertainty with regards to men's doubles participation. As of now, for the first time since 1988, India will have no representation in the men's doubles contest. India’s top two men’s doubles specialists, Bopanna and Divij Sharan failed to make the combined ranking cut-off.
Withdrawals might still open the door for the duo but things remain confusing as of now with no official communication from ITF. For now, the onus lies on the women's doubles pairing of the experienced Sania and Olympic debutant Ankita Raina. Coach and former player Nandan Bal opined: "See, I have seen lots of doubles matches to say never. The thing with Sania is she has the ability to turn matches on their head even if things aren't working out. Having said that, the pressure on Ankita is going to be huge. If they do well, people will say 'it's because of Sania.' If they do badly, people will say 'Ankita has let the team down'. If both of them complement each other -- and there is nothing to suggest they will not -- they can win a few rounds. Once they do that and get that momentum, anything is possible.
"The big factor is that, as it stands, the men's team haven't qualified. If they do qualify, then we stand a big chance to medal in the mixed with Rohan and Sania. I think the draw is on the 14th for the men's doubles. Let's see if we can get in."
In badminton among team events, India only have a men's doubles team this time around -- Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. A tough draw notwithstanding, the duo will be hoping to spring a surprise or two.