Granada (Spain), April 5 Indian pistol and rifle shooters will head into the season-opening ISSF World Cup, beginning here on Monday, with a firm resolve to extend the dominance they displayed last year – when they set new benchmarks and excelled across virtually every competition they entered.
After a disappointing start to the season at the Shotgun World Cup in Morocco, where India endured a forgettable outing, the focus now shifts to the pistol and rifle events – disciplines in which the country has traditionally excelled.
The team will be keen to compete with a renewed winning mindset, bolstered by the presence of some of the nation's finest shooters, including Olympians Rhythm Sangwan and Anjum Moudgil, and Mehuli Ghosh.
However, the squad will miss the experience of double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and world champion Samrat Rana, who are not part of the contingent.
As per the national federation's policy of rotation to provide opportunities to all members of the national squad, celebrated pistol shooters Bhaker, Suruchi Inder Singh and Samrat, among others, will feature in the pistol/rifle World Cup in Munich in May, where virtually the who's who of Indian shooting is expected to be in action.
However, there is no shortage of star power in the squad heading into the season's first pistol/rifle World Cup. Among them, pistol shooter Sangwan will be eager to put behind a series of near misses at World Cups over the past two years, as she eyes a podium finish to strengthen her case for Asian Games selection.
She finished fourth in the 10m air pistol at the 2024 Cairo World Cup, ended fourth at the 2024 ISSF World Cup Final in Delhi in both the 10m and 25m events, and once again missed out on a medal at the 2025 World Cup in Ningbo, finishing fifth. Sangwan now appears due for a big breakthrough – and it could well come in the season opener.
Experienced rifle shooters Anjum and Mehuli also head into the season on the back of an underwhelming campaign and will be eager to make a strong statement in what is an important year.
Mehuli, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships, came agonisingly close to podium finishes at the Asian Championships – finishing fourth in the women’s 10m air rifle in both Jakarta (2024) and Kazakhstan (2025).
Similarly, Anjum, the seasoned campaigner at 32 and a specialist in the women's 50m rifle 3-positions event, will be keen to rediscover her best form after a quiet season. Her bronze medal at the Asian Championships in Delhi earlier this year, however, could provide the impetus she needs heading into the World Cup.
One of the most heartening aspects of the squad is the return of deaf and mute 10m air rifle shooter Dhanush Srikanth to the World Cup setup after nearly three years. The 23-year-old last featured at the 2022 World Cup in Baku and has since continued to shine on the international stage.
He was a standout performer at the 2025 Tokyo Deaflympics, clinching gold in the men’s 10m air rifle event with a world-record score of 252.2. Remarkably, he successfully defended the title he had first won at the 2022 Deaflympics – an achievement that marked a significant milestone for India and set a new benchmark for shooters with hearing impairments.
Squad:
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Men - 10m Air rifle: Gajanan Khandagale, Arshdeep Singh, Dhanush Srikanth; 50m rifle 3-P: Niraj Kumar, Akhil Sheoran, Chain Singh. 10m Air pistol: Mukesh Nelavalli, Ujjawal Malik, Pramod. 25m rapidfire: Vijayveer Sidhu, Neeraj Kumar, Ankur Goel.
Women - 10m air rifle: Sonam Maskar, Shruti, Mehuli Ghosh; 50m rifle 3-P: Ayushi Poddar, Anjum Moudgil, Surabhi Rapole; 10m air pistol: Palak, Sainyam, Meenu Pathak. 25m pistol: Rhythm Sangwan, Simranpreet Kaur Brar, Divya TS.
Mixed team - Air rifle: Gajanan Khandagale/Sonam Maskar; Arshdeep Singh/Shruti. Air pistol: Mukesh Nelavalli/Palak; Ujjawal Malik/Sainyam.
