The Bridge Federation of India has unveiled the roster for the upcoming Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China. Following rigorous selection trials conducted at the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence in Greater Noida from March 2 to 18, teams were chosen for three distinct categories: open teams, mixed teams, and ladies teams. These squads, in addition to a seniors team, will also represent India at the World Bridge Team Championships scheduled to take place in Morocco from August 20 to September 2 this year. The Asian Games, originally slated for the previous year but delayed, are now set to run from September 23 to October 8.
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At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where bridge made its debut, India clinched a gold medal in the men’s pair category and secured two bronze medals in the men’s team and mixed team categories. Notably, Sumit Mukherjee, Jaggy Shivdasani, and Rajeswar Tiwari, integral members of the men’s team that secured bronze in Jakarta, have retained their spots and will again represent India at the 2023 Asian Games.
Bridge is a collaborative card game played between two teams, each comprising two players. A typical bridge session encompasses multiple deals, with each deal involving the dealing of hands, a bidding or auction process, actual gameplay, and eventual scoring based on the outcome of each hand.
The composition of India’s bridge team for the Asian Games 2023 is as follows:
Open Teams:
– Jaggy Shivdasani
– Sandeep Thakral
– Rajeshwar Tiwari
– Sumit Mukherjee
– Raju Tolani
– Ajay Khare
– Coach: Mr Joyjit Sensarma
Mixed Team:
– Kiran Nadar
– B Satyanarayana
– Himani Khandelwal
– Rajeev Khandelwal
– Marianne Karmarkar
– Sandeep Karmarkar
– Coach: Vinay Desai
Women’s Team:
– Asha Sharma
– Puja Batra
– Alka Kshirsagar
– Bharti Dey
– Kalpana Gurjar
– Vidya Patel
– Coach: Anal Shah
These accomplished bridge players have been meticulously selected to represent India in the pursuit of excellence at the Asian Games 2023. The national team’s line-up not only reflects past achievements but also showcases the nation’s commitment to fostering a competitive and talented bridge community. As the event approaches, the anticipation builds for an intense competition that will celebrate strategic brilliance and collaborative synergy on the cards.
