Wrestler Aman Sehrawat is eyeing the big league

The 19-year-old, fresh from his maiden Seniors gold in Almaty earlier this month, is all set for the Under-20 Asian Championships in July

Lathered in sweat and hot breath, Aman Sehrawat pauses to catch his breath. On his left, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Bajrang Punia is being tested by a young upstart. A few metres away, World Championships silver medalist Deepak Punia is rolling over his opponent.

The heat is barely bearable. The humidity is sapping. For scores of seemingly tireless young men though, the daily grind to chisel their grappling smarts continues regardless.

The whistle goes off, and the bodies, almost on command, collapse like a proverbial pack of cards. The singlets come off, the rippling muscles stretched, and a round of bodyweight exercises — ranging from 500 push-ups to rope climbing — ensue.

Fresh from bagging his first senior international gold medal at Bolat Turlykhanov Cup in Almaty earlier this month, Aman is being watched closely by a battery of coaches, each shouting a command or two from a distance. He is clearly a work in progress, but the 19-year-old is still miles ahead of the pack in his age group, if the grizzled men who have groomed world-beaters are to be believed.

The results say as much. A senior international debut at the prestigious Yasar Dogu event in Turkey marked with a bronze. A silver at Dan Kolov meet in Bulgaria next month. A gold in Almaty now.

"I am happy with the way I am adapting to the seniors circuit. An international competition teaches you a lot," he says.

"I don't think foreign wrestlers are too powerful, but they have good stamina and a solid attacking game. That's something I am gradually trying to learn."

Aman's wrestling style is a throwback to Bajrang's in some ways, though the younger and lighter grappler is a lot quicker on his feet. Like the 28-year-old, Aman likes to start on the defensive and doesn't mind conceding early points.

In the bronze medal match at the 2018 Cadet World Championships in Zagreb, Aman slipped to a 4-0 deficit against Turkey's Adem Burak Uzun before rallying to win 9-4. A year later at the same competition in Sofia, he again conceded a four-point lead that soon became 3-6 against Turkey's Muhammet Karavus, before eventually winning 10-6.

In the senior circuit, his bouts have been combination of close and high-scoring encounters -- a 10-5 win in the third-place bout in Yasar Dogu, an 18-9 loss in Dan Kolov final, a 10-9 win in the Almaty final.

"Even when I am trailing, I never feel the pressure. I know I can easily bounce back," Aman says. The belief comes from an innate wrestling intelligence, reckons Parveen Singh Dahiya, his coach at the Chhatrasal Stadium.

"Unlike what many believe, wrestling is a very mental game. You need to be smart to plot your moves and stay calm even when the opponent is winning points. Aman always had that composure, and as coaches, we try to sharpen that skill. He is still very young and his muscles are yet to develop fully, which means a few years on, he can really become world-class," he says.

"Look, a madman, no matter how physically gifted, can never be a successful wrestler. You need to know when to effect which move. Apart from intelligence, Aman is also gifted with a wrestling instinct," adds Manoj, a coach at the SAI Sonepat centre where Aman currently trains.

"By wrestling instinct, I mean that split-second signal the brain sends when your opponent lays his finger on you. A good wrestler catches the subtle hints...when to move the ankle to an angle that remains just out of reach of the opponent, when to retreat, when to impose yourself. Aman has all that, which is what sets him apart even at this age. At some stage, he will learn not to give away too many points."

Aman, meanwhile, is busy charting fresh territories. After winning the Almaty tourney, he won the trials for next month's Under-20 Asian Championships to be held in Manama. He beat Udit, another gifted prospect, 10-4 in an intensely fought bout.

"With each international competition, I have felt more assured and confident. I have observed how they (foreign wrestlers) train. They put a lot of premium on attacks, but that doesn't bother me. I will give my best in the Asian Championships," Aman says.

Of course, sparring with Bajrang and Tokyo silver medallist Ravi Dahiya helps. "There's a lot to learn from these guys. Bajrang is always very encouraging. Even the other seniors in the camp keep a tab on my game. All those little inputs help me analyse my game better."

"One area where I'd like to improve is my attacking game. That will make me a well-rounded wrestler," he says.

Aman has found an unlikely ‘mentor’ in Iranian wrestling great Hassan Yazdani. He has never got a chance to have a detailed conversation with the three-time world champion, but ever since Aman stumbled on his videos, he was hooked. "He is perhaps the only international wrestler I have heard about. I love to watch his bouts; there's so much to learn in the way he builds attacks and plans his moves," Aman says.

Despite his rapid strides, the gap between Aman and Ravi Dahiya is still humungous. When the two met at the Commonwealth Games trials a few weeks back, the result was a 10-0 win for Dahiya.

"I know I lost, but that doesn't play on my mind. We have sparred in Chhatrasal before, and he is by far a better wrestler, but I'll definitely get there. I am not intimidated by him," he says.

Dahiya had words of encouragement for his younger competitor. "He (Aman) is a very fine wrestler, very talented. He has a long career ahead of him," the 24-year-old had said in an earlier interview.

"He is five years younger than Dahiya, and far less experienced. The good thing is that the two spar against each other, which is a big learning curve for Aman. After Paris Olympics, when Ravi moves to a higher weight category, we shall have a quality wrestler to replace him. He will surely be a contender for the 2028 Olympics. His muscle development will be complete by then, and he'll be a much-improved wrestler," adds Parveen.

For Aman, who found refuge in wrestling after losing his mother nine years back — his father passed away two years later — the journey has only just begun. He doesn't recall his last visit home, where his paternal uncle's family is raising his younger sister, but quiz him on his future, and he has the answer ready.

"A medal at the Olympics."

The closest he came to holding an Olympics medal was last August when Chhatrasal dropped its guard to welcome Ravi Dahiya after his silver medal in Tokyo. A makeshift stage came up, a local DJ belted Haryanvi and Punjabi hits, and a triumphant Dahiya passed along his medal for all to hold.

"I didn't touch that medal. Not because I do not want it, but I want to hold what's mine. I hope I earn it someday."