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All systems go!

Kuala Lumpur is all set to usher in a new era in Asian sport. The 16th Commonwealth Games kick off in the Malaysian capital tommorrow -- and for the first time, the honour of hosting the Games has been conferred on an Asian country.

For a strong 114-member Indian contingent (including the usual clutch of officials), its a new experience -- and this is more true for the cricketers than the rest. A brief visit today to the sprawling Games village was enough to give testimony to this.

As soon as a group of Indian mediapersons entered the block where Indian teams are staying, they found Anil Kumble coming out of the elevator. And for a change, it was Kumble who greeted the journalists first. Later, batting sensation Sachin Tendulkar was found ironing his clothes -- a deviation from the usual five-star luxury which the Indian cricketers enjoy.

Another change was the lack of usual fan following for the Indian superstars. Barring a few local sportspersons, hardly anyone mobbed Tendulkar or his teammates, even when they carried their own luggage themselves!

The Indian quarters in the Games village was buzzing with activity today. In the mini Indian Olympic Association office, set up in the Village, officials were busy making arrangements for the official opening ceremony of the Games. Barring woman shooter Rupa Ganguly, the entire Indian contingent has checked in. Today's arrivals were the boxers and the weightlifters.

Accompanying them was Federal Minister for Human Resource Development Mr Murali Manohar Joshi.

Among the India weightlifters, Bangalore-based Satish Rai is tipped to win two gold medals. According to Balbir Singh Bhatia, a former heavyweight Asian Games gold medallist, ``Satish should win gold in jerk and total in the 72 kg category''.

Shooter Jaspal Rana is another medal hope. Some Indian newspapers had, yesterday, erroneously credited Rana with a gold medal -- a mixup, what Rana actually did was take part in a practise shoot, in course of which he bettered the Asian Games record, though of course it will not count in the record books.

Rana's event will be on September 13.

Tomorrow, after the opening ceremony, the first outing for the Indians will be when the men's badminton team play Sri Lanka -- and judged on form, this should be a cakewalk for the Indians.