Granada, April 6 -- Indian pistol and rifle shooters will head into the season-opening ISSF World Cup, beginning here on Monday, with a firm resolve to extend the dominance they displayed last year -- when they set new benchmarks and excelled across virtually every competition they entered. After a disappointing start to the season at the Shotgun World Cup in Morocco, where India endured a forgettable outing, the focus now shifts to the pistol and rifle events -- disciplines in which the country has traditionally excelled. The team will be keen to compete with a renewed winning mindset, bolstered by the presence of some of the nation's finest shooters, including Olympians Rhythm Sangwan and Anjum Moudgil, and Mehuli Ghosh. However, the squad will miss the experience of double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and world champion Samrat Rana, who are not part of the contingent. As per the national federation's policy of rotation to provide opportunities to all members of the national squad, celebrated pistol shooters Bhaker, Suruchi Inder Singh and Samrat, among others, will feature in the pistol/rifle World Cup in May in Munich, where virtually the who's who of Indian shooting is expected to be in action. However, there is no shortage of star power in the squad heading into the season's first pistol/rifle World Cup. Among them, pistol shooter Sangwan will be eager to put behind a series of near misses at World Cups over the past two years, as she eyes a podium finish to strengthen her case for Asian Games selection. She finished fourth in the 10m air pistol at the 2024 Cairo World Cup, ended fourth at the 2024 ISSF World Cup Final in Delhi in both the 10m and 25m events, and once again missed out on a medal at the 2025 World Cup in Ningbo, finishing fifth. Sangwan now appears due for a big breakthrough -- and it could well come in the season opener....