No Chopra but India hope to still pack a punch at Commonwealth Games

India’s Commonwealth Games ambitions have been badly hit by the last-minute withdrawal of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra but they still have high hopes of gold in several sports including boxing and badminton.

The Commonwealth’s most populous country is not generally known as a global sporting powerhouse – except for cricket – but it has regularly performed well at the Games.

India came third in the medals table behind hosts Australia, and England, at the last edition of the Games at the Gold Coast in 2018, and were in the top five at the previous four.

But they could have a tough job replicating that when the Commonwealths start in Birmingham on Thursday.

Shooting, traditionally

India’s most successful discipline, has been dropped from the program for these Games, much to India’s anger.

And then Chopra, India’s flag-bearer and the reigning Commonwealth and Olympic javelin champion, pulled out on Tuesday because of injury.

But there are still several gold hopefuls among India’s more than 200-strong contingent.

India’s boxing squad will be without injured six-time world champion Mary Kom, but will have her heir apparent, Nikhat Zareen.

Double Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu will lead India’s strong badminton challenge. She prepared for Birmingham by clinching the Singapore Open title in July.

The men’s hockey team will look to clinch their first *

Commonwealth gold after a disappointing 2018 campaign.

India’s women cricketers led by Harmanpreet Kaur also have a shot at glory as women’s T20 makes its debut at the Games.