Veteran archer Deepika Kumari has failed to make the India squad for the upcoming Asian Games.
The world No 2 lost two of three round-robin matches in the final leg to miss her Asian Games berth at the SAI Centre on Sunday.
“In the round-robin phase, Deepika finished with one point to fall behind, as Ankita Bhakat (3.25) and Simranjeet Kaur (2) joined reigning national champion Ridhi Phor in the team,” PTI reported.
For the first time since winning a gold medal at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010, Deepika has failed to make the team for a multi-discipline showpiece event.
Talukdar makes comeback
The men’s lineup for the Hangzhou Asiad also sprung a surprise as 36-year-old Jayanta Talukdar made a comeback to the Indian squad for the first time since 2019.
Atanu Das was the most prominent missed out.
The 2006 World Cup champion, who made his Asian Games debut in the same year, grabbed his berth by qualifying alongside 22-year-old reigning national champion Sachin Gupta.
The men’s recurve team will also have two archers who have experienced success at the Asian Games in Rai and Talukdar. They had won a team bronze at the Guangzhou edition 12 years ago.
The Asian Games are scheduled to be held in Hangzhou from September 10 to 25.
Preliminary India squad for three World Cups and Asiad:
Men’s recurve: Tarundeep Rai, Jayanta Talukdar, Neeraj Chauhan and Sachin Gupta.
Women’s recurve: Ridhi Phor, Komalika Bari, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur.
Read more about Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das’ exclusion and what they had to say here.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!