India’s biggest medal hopes at the Asian Games: The athletes most likely to make the podium

India will begin its campaign at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on September 19 with the target of matching or bettering its record haul of 107 medals from Hangzhou.

India finished fourth in Hangzhou with 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals. Athletics was its biggest medal-producing sport, with 29 medals, while shooting delivered seven golds. Archery, wrestling, boxing, badminton and the team sports are again expected to form the core of India's challenge.

With Neeraj Chopra missing the Games because of a ligament injury, several other established names will carry much of the expectation.

Manu Bhaker — shooting

The double Olympic medallist is among India's biggest individual medal prospects. Bhaker will compete in the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events in Nagoya. She has already established herself as one of the country's leading shooters, although the depth of the Asian field means neither event will be straightforward.

Esha Singh — shooting

At 21, Esha enters the Games in exceptional form. She is currently world No. 1 in the women's 25m pistol and No. 2 in 10m air pistol. She won two individual silvers and a team gold at Hangzhou and has since added World Cup titles and a world-record score.

With India fielding a deep shooting team, Esha could be one of the country's biggest sources of medals.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam — archery

India dominated compound archery in Hangzhou, winning gold in all five events. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, the reigning Asian Games champion, returns as the leading name in a younger compound team. India will expect the discipline to again produce multiple medals.

Mirabai Chanu — weightlifting

Mirabai has one major gap in an otherwise decorated career: an Asian Games medal. The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist finished ninth in 2014, missed the 2018 Games through injury and finished fourth in Hangzhou.

Her task in Nagoya will be difficult. North Korea's Ri Song-gum, a two-time Asian Games champion and world-record holder, is the clear favourite in the 49kg category. But with leading lifters from China and Thailand absent, Mirabai has a realistic shot at finally reaching the podium.

PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen — badminton

India's badminton challenge will be led by two Olympic medallists in different generations.

PV Sindhu remains a major medal threat despite a difficult recent period. She reached the Japan Open final earlier this year and has shown signs of a resurgence. Lakshya Sen, meanwhile, returned to the world's top 10 and remains capable of beating the best players in Asia.

The men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will also be among India's strongest medal bets. They will defend the Asian Games title they won in Hangzhou.

Sujeet Kalkal and Aman Sehrawat — wrestling

India's wrestling hopes include Sujeet Kalkal in the 65kg freestyle category and Paris Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat at 57kg.

Sujeet's prospects received a boost with world No. 1 Rahman Amouzad of Iran withdrawing, although Japan's Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka remains a major obstacle.

Athletics and the team sports

Without Chopra, India's athletics challenge will be led by names including Avinash Sable, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Parul Chaudhary. Sable and Toor will defend Asian Games titles, while Toor is chasing a third consecutive gold.

India will also expect gold-medal challenges from its men's and women's hockey teams, as well as both cricket teams and both kabaddi teams. All four teams are defending Asian Games champions.

The women's hockey team, in particular, enters the Games after finishing fifth at the World Cup — its best World Cup result since 1974 — and will be chasing its first Asian Games gold in more than four decades.

India's 100-medal target will ultimately depend less on one superstar than on this broad base of medal contenders. But if shooting, archery, athletics and the major team sports deliver as expected, another three-figure haul in Japan is within reach.