CHENNAI: Indian pugilists are geared up for their first major test this season. Several rejigs have been made among coaching staff in an effort to lift the sport, which has been unable to reach its potential in the last few years. At the turn of 2017, two coaches — SR Singh and Shiv Singh — were appointed to oversee the team, a never before seen move in Indian boxing. Two separate camps were held at Patiala and Aurangabad under each. More recently, Sweden’s Santiago Nieva was roped in as foreign coach by Boxing Federation of India, which recently got the much-need recognition from the IOA.
Now, after the camp and a test event in Bulgaria, a ten-man team has been announced for the upcoming Asian Championships (April 30-May 7) to be held in Tashkent. Shiva Thapa, Vikas Krishan and Manoj Kumar are among the contenders. However, one notable absentee is Olympian L Devendro Singh.
Having beaten Devendro in selection trials, Kavinder Singh has been picked ahead of the Manipur lad, who has been named in the reserves. SR Singh said the former was picked on merit. “Devendro has plenty of quality and experience but Kavinder did well in the trials and it will be a big opportunity for him,” he told Express from Patiala.
Ashish Kumar (64kg) is another boxer whose inclusion will hopefully instil fresh energy into the team. “There are few new faces. The idea is to give exposure to each so that we can build a strong team for future events like Commonwealth Games and Asian Games,” Singh, who has been coaching since 1978, said.
Satisfied with the build-up, he is hopeful that the team can do well in the Asian meet, which is also a qualifying event (60 spots in line) for the World Championships to be held in Hamburg, Germany later this year.
“All the boys are shaping up well. The boxers are trying their level best but the competition is bound to be tough as every participating nation will be vying to qualify for the Worlds.” But before the big test, the ten-member team will fly to Kazakhstan to polish their skills further.
Meanwhile, Sumit Sangwan and Gaurav Bidhuri will be making a comeback after a long injury lay-off. Gaurav is delighted to be back, doing what he loves. “I’ve missed the sport for long. It was disconcerting to miss out on certain events. Now, with the Federation in place and with several changes, I’m happy to be back. I’m hopeful to do well,” he said.
anmol@newindianexpress.com