Vinay desai

Asia Cup Bridge Championship: "Just like chess, Indian bridge needs a Viswanathan Anand to become popular among youth." That is the unequivocal assessment of Vinay Desai, coach of the senior national team, about contract bridge, the sport introduced by the British in the country as a recreational sport at various clubs.

As a strong Indian squad gears up for the 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship to be held in Goa from June 21 to 27, Desai is confident his team will perform well and expects them to win at least two medals. But underlying the recent success, bridge, unlike chess, has failed to attract younger people.

India will be represented by a strong squad that includes, among others, 2018 Asian Games bronze medallists Sumit Mukherjee and Rajeshwar Tiwari, members of India's Men's Team at Jakarta. The contingent also features Asian Games bronze medallist Kiran Nadar, one of India's most decorated bridge players, who will partner long-time teammate B. Satyanarayana in the Mixed Teams category.