Commonwealth Games 2018: 5 players carrying high hopes of India

The 2018 Commonwealth Games are set to commence from the 4th of April 2018 at Gold Coast, Queensland which will play host to some of the best international sportspersons in the world. The Indian contingent, which will comprise of a strong 225-member side will look to replicate the country's fine performances in the previous editions.

Decorated with the right mix of experience and youth, the athletes will be banked upon to bring more laurels to the country through the quadrennial games, an event which has proved to be a fruitful one for the country over its past editions.

This year, the athletes who are in Australia to compete in the Games will be oozing with confidence having shone in the domestic as well as international competitions right through the previous year, which could be a major driving force for a massive haul of medals this time around. Here are five sports stars who will start off as major medal prospects.

#5 Sushil Kumar (Wrestling)

Sushil Kumar will be banked upon to continue his good run in the Commonwealth Games

One of India's most experienced wrestlers at the Games this year, Sushil Kumar will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of CWG gold medals, having clinched the top award in the 66kg freestyle category at the 2010 edition in Delhi and then in the 74kg freestyle category as part of the 2014 edition.

With buckets of experience under his belt including the bronze medal finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver medal finish at the 2012 London Olympics, Sushil will hope to bring all his experience into play and clinch the top prize this year to complete a memorable treble for the nation.

#4 Jitu Rai (Shooting)

Jitu Rai has consistently performed in both the 10m and 50m air rifle events

The 30-year-old shooter of Nepali origin is the defending champion of the 50m pistol event, having bagged the gold medal in the 2014 Glasgow edition. Rai has consistently performed in both the 10m and 50m air rifle events and is one of the biggest contenders from the shooting arena.

A gold medal from the recent 2017 World Cup in New Delhi and bronze medals from the 2017 Brisbane Commonwealth Championships will hold him in good stead and hopefully, the talented shooter will bring all his experience to the fore and add another medal to his tally.

#3 Neeraj Chopra (Javelin Throw)

Neeraj Chopra's consistency has marked him as a favourite for the CWG

Junior world champion Javelin thrower and 2016 South Asian Games champion Neeraj Chopra has been singled out as India's biggest hope in this year's CWG with a number of podium finishes putting him in the spotlight the previous year.

The 20-year old clinched the gold medal at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships while also penning down his name as the record holder for the longest throw with a record distance of 85.23m. A silver medal at the Asian Grand Prix in China followed which labelled him as one of India's brightest prospects for the future.

With consistent throws over the 80m mark in the domestic scenario, the youngster will be the cynosure of all eyes this time around.

#2 Sanjita Chanu (Weightlifting)

Chanu will look to add another gold medal to her collection

Having won the gold medal in the 48kg category at the 2014 Glasgow edition, the multi-faceted Sanjita Chanu will start off as the competition's favourite with a gold medal at the 2017 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships-bound to give her the impetus to push ahead and clinch the top spot yet again.

The 24-year old, who hails from Manipur bagged a gold medal in the 48kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and this year, she will be fighting it out in the 53kg category.

#1 Kidambi Srikanth (Badminton)

Srikanth will be one of the shuttlers to look out for

The 2016 South Asian Games put Srikanth in the spotlight after he clinched gold medals in the Men's singles event to go with his gold-medal finish in the men's team event.

Having experienced a purple patch in the previous year with four superseries wins in a single year including the Indonesia Open, Australian Open, Denmark Open and French Open, Srikanth leapfrogged in the rankings to achieve a career-best second rank.

With multiple titles against his name going into the CWG and a strong team to play alongside, Kidambi Srikanth could well clinch his first ever Commonwealth Games gold medal this year.