Narsingh to lead Indian charge

Three dope-tainted grapplers included in 18-member team

Besides Narsingh (74kg freestyle), Yogeshwar Dutt (60kg freestyle), Ravinder Kumar (60kg Greco-Roman), Sanjay (74kg Greco-Roman) and Rajender Kumar (55kg Greco-Roman) are the CWG gold winners among men in the squad.

Geeta is the only CWG gold winner who figures among four women in the squad.
World champion Sushil Kumar, who also won gold in 66kg freestyle in the Commonwealth Games, had pulled out of the Asian Games due to injury.

Among the 18 wrestlers named, three -- Rajiv Tomar (120kg freestyle), Mausam Khatri (96kg freestyle) and Gursharan Preet Kaur (women’s 72kg) -- will appear before a National Anti-Doping panel for a hearing on Thursday after they tested positive for banned stimulant methylhexaneamine.

Wrestling Federation of India President GS Mander said if the three dope-tainted players are handed sanctions by the NADA panel they will be removed from the squad. “The provisional suspension of the three wrestlers has already been lifted and so there is no problem in their selection. Shot putter Shaurab Vij, who was in a similar circumstance after he tested positive for the stimulant, took part in the CWG. If the three wrestlers are handed ban by the NADA panel, naturally we will remove them from the Asian Games squad,” he said.

Mander said Tomar’s competitor Joginder Kumar, who won silver in 120kg freestyle in the CWG, is injured. “Joginder Kumar is injured and so Tomar was named in the squad,” he said. Among women, CWG gold medallist in 55kg, Geeta found a place in the squad. Alka Tomar, who also won a CWG gold in 59kg, was not named in the squad.

The squad: Men: Freestyle: Vinod Kumar (55kg); Yogeshwar Dutt (60kg); Pradeep Kumar (66kg); Narsingh Yadav (74kg); Ram Vir (84kg); Mausam Khatri (96kg); Rajiv Tomar (120kg)

Greco-Roman: Rajender Kumar (55kg); Ravinder Singh (60kg); Sunil Kumar (66kg); Sanjay (74kg); Manoj Kumar (84kg); Anil Kumar (96kg); Dharmender Dalal (120kg)

Women: Nirmala Devi (48kg); Geeta (55kg); Suman Kundu (63kg); Gursharan Preet Kaur (72kg).