Deepak Punia returns for Asian Games; Aman and Sujeet Kalkal join the charge

Lucknow: Top Indian male wrestlers confirmed their quota for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after a gruelling 12-hour-long selection process at SAI Lucknow on Sunday.

Star Indian wrestlers Aman Sehrawat (57kg) and Sujeet Kalkal (65Kg) made it to the team comfortably, while Deepak Punia returned to the squad after a long wait.

The Tokyo Olympian had a last-minute entry to the trial in a heavier weight class of 97kg after winning the Gonda National Open Tournament last month.

He started his day with a cautious 4-0 win over Sahil Jaglan before claiming a pinfall win against Deepak Chahal in the second round.

Later, he followed it up with a solid win over the top-seeded Vicky Hooda 7-3 in the semifinals and then claimed another victory by fall in the final against Jointy Kumar.

Meanwhile, Aman had three wins on technical superiority to confirm his spot in the team, while Sujeet Kalkal edged past Vishal Kaliraman in the final to win the 65kg title.

Coach Shako's target tactical approach

The Wrestling Federation of India has recently hired Bajrang Punia's former coach, Shako Bentindis of Georgia, for the Indian men's freestyle team.

He spoke about how the situation has changed significantly, as the previous stint with Bajrang was more personal, and now he is happy to return for a bigger pool of 100-150 wrestlers.

" He (Bajrang) was the crazy athlete; he wanted to train every day, without pause. That's why taking the Indian team now is a very big chance for me." Said Shako on his return to India.

"I think Indian wrestling is at a good level and is a very big product. Just one correction here, nobody knows which way to go. I see now half of our wrestlers have the same tactics, no variation." He addressed the issues in Indian wrestling.

"Now with more experience, I will be doing more tactical and technical work," He further added.

Indian Men's wrestling team for Asian Games

Freestyle: Aman Sehrawat (57Kg), Sujeet Kalkal (65Kg), Sagar Jaglan (74Kg), Mukul Dahiya (86Kg), Deepak Punia (97Kg), Rajat Ruhal (125Kg)

Greco-Roman: Sumit Dalal (60Kg), Deepak (67Kg), Aman (77Kg), Sunil Kumar (87Kg), Nitesh Siwach (97kg), Deepanshu (130Kg)