Hangzhou happiness

Indian sportspeople are measuring up to world standards

The Indian contingent at the Asian Games was expected to improve on its medal tally of 70 at the Jakarta games but there was some uncertainty over whether the country would bring home 100 medals, as various personalities exhorted in pre-Games TV messages. That the 655-strong contingent surpassed that number to win 107 medals — 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze — exceeds expectations by some margin. With this highest national medal tally at the Asian Games, India jumped to fourth rank from eighth in the 2018 edition. India was preceded only by China, with 383, including 201 gold; Japan with 188; and the Republic of Korea with 190. China and Japan also ranked second and third in the summer Olympics medals tally at Tokyo 2020 (the Games were held in 2021), so their dominance at Hangzhou came as no surprise. South Korea, the third among Asian countries at Tokyo, weighed in at number 16 overall. India, with an Olympic medal ranking of 48 and with several Asian countries ahead of it, certainly punched above its weight at Hangzhou.

It is possible to quibble that the highest number of medals — 29, including six gold — came from athletics, where Asia does not hold significant world records in most disciplines. But a closer look at the bigger picture suggests that India is increasingly in a position to measure itself by global standards. With Neeraj Chopra, who won the gold in the javelin throw at the Asian Games, India won its second individual Olympic gold and the first in a track and field event. It is significant that Mr Chopra had to beat a career best by his compatriot and silver medallist at Hangzhou, Kishore Jena, to claim the gold. India is also among global high performers in archery (where it won nine medals at Hangzhou), shooting (22 medals, the second-highest tally), badminton, wrestling, boxing, and hockey.

In fact, hockey is a good example of the strides that India is making on the sports field. The Indian men’s team won the gold. This victory included a 10-2 drubbing of Pakistan, which erased for old-timers the 7-1 humiliation in the 1982 Asian Games final in New Delhi. Since then, the Indian men’s team won the bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, its first field hockey Olympic medal since 1980. It is now ranked third in the world, a good example of how access to global competition can make India world-class. It was also encouraging to watch squash and table tennis teams put in sterling performances, in some cases to come from behind, to win matches. In the men’s badminton doubles final, the Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed the country’s first Asian Games doubles gold, defeating South Korea in a riveting match despite injuries. Mental strength was not a quality associated with Indian sportspeople in past years.

In the euphoria over India’s performance at Hangzhou, against reportedly hostile local crowds and strange refereeing decisions in some disciplines, it may be possible to overlook disappointments. In sports in which India has put up a strong showing globally, such as badminton, boxing, and wrestling, reliable stars underperformed, raising age-old questions about consistency. But for Team India on the cricket pitch, India’s Asian Games performance will be a tough act to follow.