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If you take his word, Sushil Kumar has not sweated as much in his life as he has this time as he prepares for the CWG, and some other big-ticket events which follow.

Not even while preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he won a historic bronze. Old tricks, just as old jokes, can hardly cheer anyone, leave alone one billion people and Sushil knows it well. CWG are just a month away and there’s no way Sushil would like his X-effect to fade away. TOI caught the wrestler in transformation mode.

How does it feel like being the star attraction of CWG, especially, when it is being held at home?

It’s terrific. Sports enthusiasts all over India are looking forward to it. Wherever I go, people just talk of winning medals in CWG. Last time I took part in the Senior Asian Championships in Delhi, fans in two buses had come to cheer me from my village. This time you can expect more. Yogeshwar Dutt and grapplers from Haryana too will have plenty of support. I can not say about other sports but I can assure you the wrestling arena will have capacity crowds.

Is Delhi the next big opportunity after Beijing Olympics, especially when you missed out in 2002 and wrestling was not included in 2006?

Of course, it will be my first big event at home. More than me, my family is eager to see me win here. But competitionwise, World Championships and Asian Games will also be big challenges.

How are your preparations going on?

I am training really hard and am satisfied with my form. In the next 20 days I expect to touch my peak and aim to stay there for the next three months. There has been a slight change in my technique and I have added variations in attack. These days, the focus is on speed training and endurance.

Canada’s Chris Prickett is expected to give you a tough competition…

Sports is all about confidence – it starts and ends with it. Yes, he has been performing exceptionally well for the last two years. I am also expecting a tough bout. But I have won against him twice or thrice so psychologically I have a slight edge. But, finally it all depends on that particular day.

After Beijing, things are looking up in wrestling…

Yes, the approach is more scientific now and stress is on technique and ways to score points. Also, Indian wrestlers are more confident now and that is showing in their international performances.

So how many medals can India expect from wrestling?

We have trained really hard and hope to win 21 medals (men & women) this time. But winning 15 gold should not pose a problem. Rest you can’t say

CWG has been mired in one controversy after the other. Does it disenchant sportspersons?

Athletes can not afford to lose focus. There are expectations and we have to deliver. It hurts to see India’s showpiece event getting bad publicity. Due to a few corrupt people, the whole country’s reputation takes a beating. Par haan, unko sazaa to milni hi chahiye (the gulity must be punished).

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This post was submitted by Chinmaya Nayak.