India start on the mat

Rajendra was racing against time to get fit for the tournament after injuring his shoulder during training.

Coaches were confident of him making the tournament,but the injury flared up again and a decision was taken to not risk aggravating it.

Previously,the team had lost Manoj Kumar a contender in the 84kg event due to a shoulder dislocation. The player exits are only a part of misfortune surrounding the team.

Chikkara bereaved

Rajbir Chikkara,who will take the mat in the 74 kg category,has just returned to the SAI centre in Sonepat after cremating his father,Rameshwar Singh,who died of heart attack the day before. Couple of weeks back,Bhim Singh too lost his father Satpal,again to heart attack.

Coaches,including Hargovind,visited the Chikkara family house some 15 kilometres from Sonepat to pay their condolences,where they were told that Rajbir will definitely be at the weigh-ins.

His elder brother Balwant later confirmed the same He will definitely play. We are in mourning,but Rajbir will have to fight as our father would have expected the same from him. It is his duty to fight, he told The Indian Express.

Bhim Singh,who will participate in the 96 kg,like Rajbir will also appear for the weigh-ins on Thursday.

My fathers dream was to see me fight an international bout. This tournament was a chance for him to see me do it,but it did not happen. Now all I can think of is winning a medal for him, the 20-year-old said. Rajendras place in the team was taken by Services grappler Gaurav Sharma,who made the cut after the weigh-ins. Also in the fray on Day One would be Haryana Polices Ravinder Singh in the 60kg weight division,Sunil Rana in the 66kg category and new face Naveen in the heavyweight 120kg weight division. Ravinder had won a bronze medal when the tournament was last held in New Delhi in 2010.

It was expected that India would a minimum of three medals in the Greco-Roman discipline,but with Rajendras absence,the expectations have been toned down by the coaching staff. We will definitely give a fight in every category. Hope we can better the 2010 mark, added Hargovind.

Geeta doubtful

As the day progressed,there was more bad news for the Indian team. The 2012 World Championships bronze medallist Geeta Phogat too,it emerged,was struggling with injury. Phogat,who made history after becoming the first Indian women wrestler to participate at the Olympics,is working hard to shake off a hamstring injury that she picked up during training.