India faces crucial test against China ahead of Asian Games

The Indian shooting contingent will have one final opportunity to measure itself against the world’s best before turning its focus to the Asian Games when it competes at the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China, beginning on Wednesday.

More importantly, the tournament offers India a valuable chance to assess its progress against continental powerhouse China, whose dominance in international shooting continues to set the benchmark. With the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya less than two months away (September 19-October 4), the Hangzhou World Cup assumes added significance.

Competing in Asia, under conditions similar to those expected at the continental showpiece, will provide Indian shooters with crucial match practice while also offering a psychological edge if they can challenge the hosts on their home soil. China has once again demonstrated why it remains the sport’s dominant force.

At the opening ISSF World Cup of the season in Granada, Spain, the Chinese contingent topped the medals table with eight gold medals, underlining the remarkable depth of its squad across rifle and pistol. India, despite fielding a competitive team, returned with just one gold medal, highlighting the gap it still needs to bridge before the Asian Games.

The second ISSF World Cup in Munich, however, painted a far more encouraging picture for India.  Teen sensation Suruchi Inder Singh picked up where she had left off last season by clinching the women’s 10m air pistol title, continuing her meteoric rise after winning four World Cup gold medals in 2025. Asian Games medallist Esha Singh also struck gold in the women’s 25m pistol, reaffirming her status as one of India’s strongest medals hopes.

Despite those standout performances, China once again finished on top of the medals table, reinforcing its grip on world shooting. For India, consistently matching that level across disciplines remains the biggest challenge. While the women’s squad has delivered impressive results, India’s male shooters will be eager to end their wait for an individual World Cup gold this season.

The Hangzhou event presents an ideal opportunity for experienced campaigners to rediscover winning form ahead of the Asian Games.

Former world champion in 10m air rifle Rudrankksh Patil, competing for Ranking Points Only (RPO), will look to regain momentum in the men’s 10m air rifle. World Championship silver medallist Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar will spearhead India’s challenge in the 50m rifle 3 positions, while another World Championship silver medallist, Anish Bhanwala, remains one of the country’s strongest hopes in the 25m rapid-fire pistol.

Their performances will not only boost India’s medal prospects but also provide confidence and leadership to the younger members of the Asian Games squad. India’s women’s contingent appears particularly formidable. Suruchi will be aiming to continue her remarkable consistency and claim what would be her sixth ISSF World Cup gold medal before embarking on the Asian Games campaign. Esha Singh, fresh from her Munich World Cup triumph, will also seek to build on her momentum in the 25m pistol. Adding further firepower is double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker, who will compete in both the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events in Hangzhou before taking on the same double challenge at the Asian Games.

Manu will be keen to put behind a relatively quiet period following the Paris Olympics and return to peak form ahead of the continent’s biggest multi-sport event.

The women’s rifle events also feature several promising youngsters who have impressed on the international circuit over the past year, with Elavenil Valarivan, who made a clean sweep of the top-podium finish at the Asian Championships in 10m air rifle in Delhi, leading the pack.  The only discipline where India’s Asian Games squad will not be in action is shotgun. In line with the National Rifle Association of India’s policy of fielding separate ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams in alternate World Cups, the shooters selected for the Asian Games completed their international assignments at the previous World Cup and will skip the Hangzhou leg.

As a result, a different group of shotgun shooters will represent India this week.