Jadhav main hope in recurve; Jyothi, Verma favourite in compound at Asian archery

Mumbai, Nov 13 (IANS) Star recurve archer Pravin Jadhav along with top compound archers Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam will spearhead the Indian challenge in the Asian Archery Championships 2021 that will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November 14 to 19.

While Jadhav will be making his first international appearance since the Tokyo Olympics and will be India's main hope for a medal in the recurve section in the absence of Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das, and Tarundeep Rai, all three could not make the cut in the trials held recently.

While the 25-year-old Jadhav will be leading India's charge in the recurve section, Parth Salunkhe, Sukhchain Singh, and Kapil are the other members of the men's team.

The team of Atanu Das, Jayanta Talukdar, and Tarundeep Rai won the bronze medal in the men's team recurve at the 2019 edition of the Asian Archery Championships after beating China 6-2.

Komalika Bari, Ankita Bhakat, Ridhi Phor, and Madhu Vedwan comprise the Indian women's recurve that will wage battle against the top countries in the region in the event to be held at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in Dhaka.

India is expected to dominate the compound section with Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam, the reigning Asian Champions in the mixed team section their main hopes.

Jyothi, who did well in the World Championships in the USA a few months back, will be the top contender in the women's individual competition too.

A total of 124 archers from 16 countries will be competing in what is the 22nd edition of the Asian Archery Championships.

Overall, Korea is the most successful country in archery in the world and is expected to dominate the recurve section. India will be righting with China, Japan, and Iran for the honours in the compound section.

The Indian squad:

Recurve men: Pravin Jadhav, Parth Salunkhe, Sukhchain Singh, Kapil

Recurve women: Komalika Bari, Ankita Bhakat, Ridhi Phor, Madhu Vedwan

Compound men: Abhishek Verma, Rishabh Yadav, Aman Saini. Mohit

Compound women: Jyothi Vennam, Muskan Kirar, Priya Gurjar. Parneet Kaur