Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat lead a prolonged protest demanding the arrest of former Wrestling Federation of India president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, over sexual harassment, their return to the mat any time soon appears bleak. 

So Indian wrestling gears up for the ranking series in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with the selection trials commencing on Wednesday for the Asian Games and World Championships as well as a qualification event for Paris Olympics -- in three weeks.

The Worlds in Serbia, from September 16, will provide the first opportunity for wrestlers to book a spot for Paris. There are five quotas on offer in each weight division. In normal circumstances, Tokyo Olympics medalist Bajrang (65kg) and two-time world championships medalist Vinesh (51kg) would have been strong contenders.

Bajrang, 29, and Vinesh, 28, were the only Indian wrestlers to win medals at the worlds last year. Bajrang made a strong injury comeback to become the only Indian wrestler to win four world championship medals. Vinesh revived her career after her Tokyo Olympics heartbreak, winning gold at the Birmingham CWG and bronze in the Worlds. But with the careers of the two top wrestlers on the crossroads, it provides an opportunity for youngsters to shine.

Coach Virender Dahiya, who will travel with the team in Bishkek, puts his faith in rising star Antim Panghal – junior world champion – Pooja Gehlot, the CWG medallist and Sushma Shokeen, the 2022 Asian medallist, to step up in the absence of Vinesh. There is also Ankush Panghal, the U-23 world championships silver medallist in 50kg.

“We have a few youngsters who can go ahead and earn a quota for Paris. Yes, they do not have the vast experience of Vinesh and that will take time. These girls are still new to the senior international circuit and are learning, but they have the talent and hunger to succeed,” Dahiya says.

Antim, 19, is widely seen as Vinesh's replacement and came to limelight as the first Indian woman wrestler to win a junior world championships title last year. Her transition to the senior circuit has been good as the Asian Championships silver in February showed. Her focus now is on the upcoming trials.

Unlike Antim, there is no one who has looked like they can even come close to replacing Bajrang. National champion Sujeet Kalkal, a world junior bronze medalist, has shown spark. There is also Anuj Kumar, who lost in the Asian Championships quarter-finals. He is the 65kg entry in Bishkek. Sujeet is concentrating on the trials.

“If Bajrang is not competing, 65kg will be open for anyone to stake claim,” says Lalit Kumar, coach at Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium. “You will see a lot of wrestlers moving to 65kg for the trials.”