Star raiders Naveen Kumar and Pawan Sehrawat will headline a 12-member Indian men’s kabaddi team for the Hangzhou Asian Games in next month. The Indian contingent for the upcoming Asian Games was released by the sports ministry on Friday. A 12-member Indian women’s kabaddi team was also announced for the Asian Games.
Sakshi Kumari, Sonali Vishnu Shingate and Ritu Negi silver medallists from Jakarta 2018 were among those who clinched a place in the squad for Hangzhou. The men’s team now includes Arjun Deshwal, the top raider from the most recent Pro Kabaddi League season. Veteran defenders Parvesh Bhainswal, Vishal Bhardwaj, and Sunil Kumar are also members of the Indian men’s kabaddi team. However, none of the 12 athletes competed for India in the previous Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018. The Indian team members Pardeep Narwal and Deepak Niwas Hooda, who competed in the 2018 Asian Games, did not advance to Hangzhou. The men’s team trials took place on July 9 at the I.G. Stadium in New Delhi, and the women’s team trials took place on July 10 at the SAI Center in Bengaluru. The 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, China, saw the introduction of kabaddi. It has since been included in every Asian Games program. At the Asian Games so far, Indian men have taken home seven of the eight gold medals. They settled for a bronze medal in Jakarta 2018 after losing to Iran in the semi-final. The Indian men’s kabaddi squad has only lost two games in its eight Asian Games history, both of which occurred in Jakarta in 2018. India defeated Iran in the Asian Kabaddi Championship final to win the title last month. Indian men’s kabaddi team: Nitesh Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal, Sachin, Surjeet Singh, Vishal Bhardwaj, Arjun Deshwal, Aslam Inamdar, Naveen Kumar, Pawan Sehrawat, Sunil Kumar, Nitin Rawal, Akash Shinde.
