Asia Cup: New-look India aims for dominance in Bangkok

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With a new team, India will begin the international archery season on Tuesday at the Asia Cup Stage 1 in Bangkok. The Indian think tank is using this continental opener to test bench strength ahead of a demanding season that finishes in the Asian Games in Japan by resting big names like Deepika Kumari, Dhiraj Bommadevara, and Jyothi Surekha Vennam.

This "fresh-faced" team is responsible for preserving India's position as the overall defending champions, while experienced champions get ready for the forthcoming World Cup legs in Mexico and China.

China and Bangladesh pose a serious threat to India, even in the absence of the global powerhouse South Korea. In the recurve men's section, Australia's Ryan Tyack is the top-ranked archer with a ranking of world No.27, while the women's section has Russian-born neutral athlete Nurinisso Makhmudova (No. 45) as the highest-ranked archer.

The men's compound unit, led by Asian Games gold medallist Prathamesh Jawkar and world No. 4 Rishabh Yadav, continues to be the most promising gold-medal contender.

Chikitha Taniparthi, 20, is in charge of the rebuilding phase on the women's complex side. Talented comeback archers like Tejal Salve and Swati Dudhwal, who have both seen international success in the past, are hoping to end a medal-less individual streak since 2025.

A youthful core trying to make the leap to the elite level is the focus of the recurve division. The men's team is led by Devaang Gupta, who had an excellent time at the Khelo India University Games, and Juyel Sarkar, who is still aiming for his first single international medal. After a three-year absence, Ridhi Phor returns to the women's recurve team.

With 194 archers from 19 countries competing for crucial world ranking points, the Bangkok leg serves as a vital audition. India won eight medals last year, and this revamped team will be keen to demonstrate that the country's depth in archery is enough to win even without its top players.

Indian Squad:

Recurve, men: Devaang Gupta, Aarav Punia, Juyel Sarkar and Sukhchain Singh; women: Kirti, Anshika Kumari, Ruma Biswas and Ridhi. Compound, men: Rajat Chauhan, Prathamesh Jawkar, Uday Kamboj and Rishabh Yadav; women: Swati Dudhwal, Raj Kaur, Tejal Salve and Chikitha Taniparthi

(With PTI Input)