Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia were part of the Indian contingent for the recently held Poland Open Ranking Series. While Dahiya bagged silver after a shaky performance, Punia withdrew from the competition due to an elbow injury.

READ: Vinesh Phogat and coach Woller Akos leaving no stone unturned in preparation for Tokyo Olympics

Dahiya, whose leg defense was exposed during the Ranking Series, said the trip to Russia will help him overcome the shortcomings. Unhappy with his performance in Warsaw, the 23-year-old added that the Soviet nation houses quality sparring partners and it will help him improve his game.

It’s been nearly two weeks since the Poland Open Ranking Series concluded and the freestyle grapplers are yet to start their full-fledged Tokyo Olympic training.

READ: Bajrang Punia and coach Shako devise a master training plan for Tokyo Olympics

This is not the only problem the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) faces. To add to the wrestling duo’s woes, the COVID-19 vaccination has also become a problem for them.

The duo received their first dose of Covidshield jab in India. But its availability in Russia is still a question mark for WFI.

READ: 5 wrestlers who might stop Vinesh Phogat from winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics

Four Indians seeded for Tokyo Olympics

Meanwhile, Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya, Deepak Punia and Vinesh Phogat ( 53 kg women’s wrestling) have been seeded for the Tokyo Olympics. Seema Bisla (50 kg), Anshu Malik (57 kg) and Sonam Malik (62 kg), on the other hand, are unseeded.

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