Pawan Sehrawat will replace Tajinderpal Singh Toor as India’s flag-bearer at the Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya on Saturday after the shot-putter was unable to receive his official kit in time.Sehrawat, a key member of India’s gold-medal-winning men’s kabaddi team at the previous Asian Games, will now join shooting star Manu Bhaker in leading the Indian contingent during the opening ceremony, chef-de-mission Sahdev Yadav told PTI.Toor’s absence is linked to the delayed delivery of the official kit. The 30-year-old told PTI that he was informed his kit would arrive at Nagoya airport only at 3pm, leaving him with little time to collect it and reach the ceremony venue.“I am told that my kit will reach at 3pm at the (Nagoya) airport. Reaching the opening ceremony venue after collecting my kit from airport on time will be very difficult. So, I have told IOA (Indian Olympic Association) that I am not coming for opening ceremony,” Toor told PTI.The celebrated shot-putter also revealed that the athletics contingent is yet to receive its kits, with the equipment still in India.“My kit is lying in India. Nobody in the athletics team has got their kits so far,” he revealed.The athletics team has been based at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo since September 13 for an acclimatisation camp. The contingent is scheduled to travel to Nagoya on September 21, two days before the athletics events begin.Toor said the situation could have been different had he been informed earlier about his flag-bearer duties. He only learnt about the role on Friday, meaning his coach, who had arrived in Nagoya a day earlier, could potentially have collected the kit for him.“IOA told me yesterday about me becoming flag-bearer. Otherwise my coach who reached here yesterday could have picked it (the kit) up for me,” he said.With Toor unable to attend, Sehrawat has been handed the responsibility of carrying the Indian flag alongside Bhaker at the opening ceremony.
