Tokyo: India still has one medal - a silver - to its credit at the Tokyo Olympics, and its position on the Olympic medal tally keeps drowning as the Games complete one week. The search for the second metal has been persistent. Though India's dry run has been making fans back home desperate, there still have been some of the big names of world sports competing in the Games.
On Thursday, the limelight will be on the men's hockey team, boxer Mary Kom, shuttler PV Sindhu and shooter Manu Bhaker.
Here is the list:
Indian men's team - Hockey
Indian men's hockey team is currently standing at the second spot in Group A after two wins and a 7-1 defeat against Australia.
Now on Thursday, India will face defending champion Argentina after their 3-0 win over Spain.
However, Argentina's poor form and India's rejuvenation following a heart wrenching defeat against Australia have made the Men in Blue favourite. A win on Thursday will strengthen India's position in the quarterfinal.
Mary Kom - Boxing
38-year-old flyweight category (48kg) boxer Mary Kom won her first match 4-1 against Miguelina Hernandez of the Dominican Republic to announce her arrival at the Tokyo Olympics. On Thursday, the Indian medal prospect, who won bronze in London 2012, will look to take a step closer to her quest for Olympic gold when she will take on Ingrit Valencia of Colombia.
Mary, who is technically strong, may face a tough contest from Valencia, who is a Rio 2016 bronze medallist.
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It will be heartening to watch Mary making it to the quarterfinal.
PV Sindhu - Badminton
Shuttler PV Sindhu has been in destructive form. After beating Ksenia Polikarpova and Cheung Ngan Yi by straight games in successive matches, she is now all set for pre-quarterfinal. On early Thursday morning, she will take on Denmark's World No. 12 Mia Blichfeldt who also won her group stage matches by straight games. She defeated Linda Zetchiri and Wendy H.Y. Chen to set her Round of 16 clash against the Indian.
Rio Olympics silver medallist Sindhu's match will be the biggest attraction of the day from the Indian perspective.
Manu Bhaker - Shooting
Shooting has profoundly disappointed India. Shooters, who had promised to be India's biggest medal hopes in Tokyo, buckled under pressure at the mother of all games, the Olympics. Manu Bhaker has been the biggest disappointment for India.
She failed to make it to the knockout stage in both individual 10m air pistol and 10m mixed team events.
On Thursday, she will compete in the women's 25m air pistol event, a competition in which she has never won a medal.
