New Delhi [India]: The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), in its Governing Body meeting held at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, announced several key appointments, including the induction of former shooters as national team coaches.
Major Coaching Appointments
Renowned Dronacharya awardees, Deepali Deshpande and Jaspal Rana, have been appointed as:
🔹 Deepali Deshpande – Head Coach (Rifle)
🔹 Jaspal Rana – High-Performance Coach (25m Pistol)
The coaching team has been expanded with 16 new members, while 19 existing coaches have been retained.
Notable Former Shooters in Coaching Roles
Several distinguished former shooters have been appointed as national team coaches, including:
✅ Jitu Rai – Former pistol ace, Padma Shri & Khel Ratna awardee (10m Air Pistol)
✅ Pooja Ghatkar – (10m Air Rifle)
✅ Pemba Tamang – (25m Pistol)
✅ Amarinder Cheema – (Skeet)
✅ Varsha Tomar – (Trap)
High-Performance Management & Coaching
🏅 High-Performance Managers:
✔ Mansher Singh – Shotgun discipline
✔ Ronak Pandit – Pistol discipline
🏅 High-Performance Coaches:
✔ D.S. Chandel – (Air Rifle)
✔ Anwer Sultan – (Trap)
✔ Manoj Kumar – (50m Rifle)
✔ Vikram Chopra – (Shotgun)
✔ Samaresh Jung – (Pistol)
Additionally, the Deaf Shooters team will be coached by:
✔ Amar Jung Singh (Coordinator)
✔ Priti Sharma & Anuja Jung (Coaches)
Inaugural Shooting League of India (SLI)
Apart from coaching appointments, the NRAI has taken significant steps towards launching the Shooting League of India (SLI):
📌 Elena Norman, former CEO of Hockey India, has been appointed as a Consultant for the league.
📌 New Horizons Alliance Pvt Ltd has been named as the Commercial & Marketing Agency.
With these key decisions, the NRAI aims to strengthen India’s shooting ecosystem, nurture top-tier talent, and elevate the country’s global standing in shooting sports.