After having achieved their best-ever performance at The Olympic Games in Tokyo last year, India will be geared up to put their best foot forward at the Commonwealth Games, starting July 28 in Birmingham.
With the Asian Games postponed to 2023, India's top sporting heroes will be in Birmingham, trying their best to win the country laurels. India won as many as 66 medals, including 26 gold medals, to finish 3rd in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia -- which was also their second-best showing at the Games since India won 101 medals at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.
India's biggest gold medal hope for the Commonwealth Games is undoubtedly the Tokyo Olympics hero Dheeraj Chopra. The javelin throw star has been warming up for the Games in Birmingham by breaking his own national records at will. He will be keen on retaining the gold medal that he won in 2018.
The Haryana athlete broke his own national record at the Diamond League in Stockholm in June as he registered a personal best throw of 89.94 m. The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist missed the 90 m mark by a whisker, but he will be pushing himself to finish on the top step of the podium.
Dheeraj, who will compete at the Athletics World Championships before he heads to Birmingham, will face a stiff test from reigning world champion Anderson Peters. Who has a season-best throw of 93.07 m? Notably, Peters finished ahead of Dheeraj in the Stockholm Diamond League with another 90-plus throw.
Peters had finished with the bronze in the 2018 CWG with a throw of 82.20 m while Dheeraj took gold with a throw of 86.47 m.
India's badminton stars will be hoping to make merry at the Commonwealth Games. After the men's team's success in Thomas Cup, the Asian giants will be looking to defend the mixed team gold medal that they won in 2018.
India won't have the 2018 women's singles gold medalist Sana Newel, but the focus will be on PV Sindh, who is looking to win her 3rd straight CWG medal after a bronze in 2014 and silver in 2018.
Sindh, unlike on the tour, will not face stiff tests, but she will keep an eye on the likes of Kirsty Gilmore and Michelle Li.
Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshmi Sen and HS Pr annoy will be looking to make the most of their recent form at CWG, but they will face stiff tests from Low Mean Yew and Lee Zip Jim in the men's singles field.
The doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chi rag Shetty are also in contention to win a gold medal in Birmingham.
India is one of the most successful nations when it comes to weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games, with 125 medals in the history of the Games.
Indian weightlifters reigned supreme in the 2018 Gold Coast Games, bringing home a rich haul of nine medals, including five golds. With 15 weightlifters heading to Birmingham, India will be hoping for another successful showing from the contingent.
MiraLax Chan is almost a certainty to win a gold medal in Birmingham, which will be her 3rd CWG medal.
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