Top five Indian athletes to watch out for at Commonwealth Games 2022

These stars will look to bring more glory to the country in the upcoming competition.

Commonwealth Games 2022 will begin on 28 July in Birmingham, England. Indian athletes will look to do their best in the upcoming tournament. It has always been a happy hunting ground for them. India have managed to finish inside the top 10 in the medal table in most editions of this tournament.

The nation will make its 18th appearance at the Commonwealth Games. The Indian athletes will participate in nine out of the 20 sports at the event. A total of 147 athletes have qualified for the mega sporting event. Cricket will make its debut at the event and will be played in the T20 format. The Indian women’s cricket team has qualified on the basis of the ICC rankings and is drawn against Pakistan, Australia and Barbados in Group A.

Shooting is not a part of the Games and top Indian shooters will not feature in the competition. However, there are still many Indian athletes who can bring glory to India. Let's take a look at the top five Indian players to watch out for at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

Lovlina Borgohain

Lovlina Borgohain punched her way to creating history by winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She will try to continue her good performance in the Commonwealth Games.

The Indian boxer hasn't won a medal in the tournament yet, having crashed out at the early stages of the last edition. She had lost to Sandy Ryan of the United Kingdom in the quarterfinals at the Gold Coast. However, Lovlina's performance at the Olympics last year must have risen her confidence. She has made her a medal contender for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

PV Sindhu

World No. 7 PV Sindhu has been struggling since winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Sindhu had defeated China’s He Bingjiao to win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. With the victory, she also became the first-ever Indian female athlete to win consecutive Olympic medals.

However, the road hasn't been easy for Sindhu after the tournament. She has struggled continuously in the many tournaments after the Tokyo Olympics. Sindhu recently crashed out of Indonesia Open Super 1000 event. She made a shock first-round exit from the tournament after suffering a straight-game defeat against China's He Bing Jiao.

Sindhu has struggled in recent times to find her feet on the court but it does not take her out of the medal equation. The Chinese shuttlers won't be playing in the Commonwealth Games and it could prove to be a huge opportunity for Sindhu to win a medal and find her lost form.

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu has won two medals in the Commonwealth Games and will look to continue her top performance in the upcoming edition of the competition. She won a silver medal in Glasgow Commonwealth Games and clinched a gold medal at the Gold Coast in 2018.

Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the Women’s Weightlifting 49kg category at the Tokyo Olympics. She was the first Indian athlete to win a medal at the Olympic Games last year and is a strong medal contender in the upcoming competition in Birmingham.

Ravi Dahiya

Star Indian wrestler Ravi Dahiya secured a well-deserved silver medal in the men’s freestyle 57kg category at the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan last year. He then qualified for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham by winning his match at the national selection trials held in New Delhi.

Ravi Dahiya is focused on winning a medal in the Paris Olympics and will look to keep himself on the track with a medal in the upcoming tournament. He is one of India's top medal contenders in the tournament.

Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra etched his name in Indian sports history for the ages as he clinched the elusive gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year. India's golden boy is not stopping after winning a gold medal at the Olympics and his next target is the Commonwealth Games 2022.

The Javelin thrower won a gold medal in the last edition of the tournament at Gold Coast in Australia. He proved his commitment with a sublime performance in the recently concluded Paavo Nurmi Games. Neeraj rewrote the national record with a throw of 89.30 metres on his return to the track after 44 weeks from the Tokyo Olympics and will look to do the same in the upcoming competition.

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