Saurabh Chaudhary back in national team after two years

PUNE: Saurabh Chaudhary is back in the Indian team. The talented shooter, who was once considered India's biggest Olympics hope, will be making his return to the national side after more than two years. Saurabh has been picked for the 10m air pistol squad for the Buenos Aires and Peru World Cups to be held in April.
Speaking to TOI, Saurabh said he is happy to be back. "I feel good to be back in the Indian team. My scores in the past trials only validate that I was on the right path," the former World No. 1 pistol shooter said.
Along with shooting in the men's 10m air pistol individual event, Saurabh is also paired with Suruchi for the 10m air pistol mixed team. The Baghpat shooter is currently ranked No. 1 in the national ranking.
Saurabh said he is high on confidence. "I will be shooting in an international tournament after two years, but I am not short on confidence. I know I have done well in the past and I was not low on confidence even when I was out of the Indian team. I trust my training and I am hopeful of doing well," he said.
Saurabh's last shot in an international meet was in 2022.
Former World Champion Rudrankksh Patil too made his comeback by topping the men's 10m air rifle national rankings. Rudrankksh struggled with his form in 2023 and failed to hold his quota place for the Paris Olympics.
"It is good to be back. I had made some changes in my routine and technique, so the next task would be to take the plan forward and continue shooting well," Rudrankksh said.
While it was a comeback for Saurabh and Rudrankksh, two big names were missing from the squad - Paris bronze medallists Sarabjot Singh (10m air pistol) and Swapnil Kusale (50m rifle 3position).