Top 10 medal contenders for India in Asian Games 2023

The 19th edition of the Asian Games will begin on September 23, in the city of Hangzhou, China. The multi-sporting continental spectacle will run for 15 days, till October 8, giving the best athletes of Asia an opportunity to showcase their mettle on the grand stage. Team India will be sending 655 athletes to the Asiad, their largest contingent ever, in 40 different sporting disciplines, with an expectation of securing most medals in their illustrious history. In 2018, at the Jakarta-Palembang edition of the Asian Games, India had 570 athletes competing across 36 different sporting disciplines, which culminated with them winning 16 golds, 24 silvers, and 30 bronzes, combining for 70 medals. As the sporting culture in India is starting to get stronger by the day, the anticipation among the fans to see a big tally of medals is definitely plausible. With that, SportsTiger looks at the top 10 medal contenders for India in Asian Games 2023. 1. Mirabai Chanu Mirabai Chanu, the former world champion and an Olympic silver medallist in weightlifting for India, is set to compete in her second Asian Games this year in Hangzhou, after missing out on the Jakarta-Palembang edition in 2018 due to a back issue. The 29-year-old decided to skip the World Weightlifting Championships earlier this month, in her bid to be completely ready for the challenge posed to her, in the 49kg category, by two of the greatest Chinese weightlifters in history. #PAGE_BREAK# 2. Indian kabaddi teams The Indian men’s kabaddi team is one of the favourites to regain the gold medal in the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, owing to their rich history in the competition, winning it six out of seven times in history, in spite of losing to Iran in the semi-final last time. Similarly, the Indian women’s team in kabaddi have two out of three gold medals in Asiad, which will give them the confidence to reach the top step of the podium for the first time in nearly nine years, after being upstaged by Iran in Jakarta-Palembang. #PAGE_BREAK# 3. Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri The men’s doubles event in tennis at the Asiad has seen India win the gold medal five times in the last seven editions. Rohan Bopanna, 43, one of the greatest tennis players from India, who secured the top step of the podium at the multi-sporting continental spectacle with Divij Sharan for the first time in 2018, will be looking to repeat the feat at the Asian Games 2023 with Yuki Bhambri. #PAGE_BREAK# 4. Bajrang Punia Bajrang Punia, the reigning Asian champion, is one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of Indian sports, with medals at the Olympics and World Championships in his illustrious career. Although the 29-year-old is in the midst of a tough year on a personal level, his professionalism for wrestling, as seen in recent years, should be enough for him to defend the title, in the 65kg category, at the upcoming Asian Games. #PAGE_BREAK# 5. Saurav Ghoshal At the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014, Saurav Ghoshal suffered a heartbreaking loss to Abdullah Al Muzayen from Kuwait in the final, after leading him 2-0 and a match ball during the third game. The 37-year-old will be looking to rewrite the wrong from nearly nine years ago, to win his first gold medal in the men's singles event at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. #PAGE_BREAK# 6. Indian hockey teams The Indian men’s hockey team, who underperformed in the knockout stages of the Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang, will be looking to quieten their doubters with a gold medal winning performance at the Asian Games 2023. Meanwhile, the Indian women’s hockey team, who reached the final of the Asiad last time, losing to Japan in a close final, has all the experience at their disposal to win the gold medal for the first time in over 30 years. #PAGE_BREAK# 7. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who reached the career-high ranking of world number two in badminton earlier this year, will have a great opportunity to win the first-ever medal for India in the men’s doubles competition at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. Team India has only 10 medals from the sport in the Asiad, including one silver and nine bronzes, which is something the Badminton Association of India (BAI) will be looking to add to, in the coming months and years. #PAGE_BREAK# 8. Nikhat Zareen As the reigning two-time IBA world champion in boxing, Nikhat Zareen is one of the biggest contenders for India to win the gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games 2023. The 27-year-old has already won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games for India in Birmingham last year, which will give her the confidence to deliver the best possible performance in Hangzhou. #PAGE_BREAK# 9. Indian cricket teams The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be sending its men’s and women’s cricket teams to compete at the Asian Games for the first time in history. As one of the best cricketing nations on the continent, India will be fancying their chances of securing gold medals in both men’s and women’s cricket competitions at the Asiad. #PAGE_BREAK# 10. Neeraj Chopra Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic, World, Asian, and Commonwealth champion in javelin, will be looking to defend his coveted title at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. The 25-year-old, who is arguably the best Indian track and field athlete ever, is going to spearhead the 68-member strong athletics contingent for the country in the upcoming multi-sporting continental spectacle.

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Top 10 medal contenders for India in Asian Games 2023