From wrestling mat to politics, Bajrang Punia gears up for new 'dangal'

Bajrang Punia had once stated that it didn't really matter who was supporting him because as long as his mind was trained to feel undefeated, nothing really could beat him.

If the unfazed manner in which he has moved from the wrestling mat to the political cauldron is any indication, this statement seems to have been the guiding principle of his life.

Bajrang, a Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist and among the most decorated names in Indian wrestling, is now set to grapple on the political turf, having joined the Congress party a month before the assembly elections in Haryana amid talk that he would be among the contestants.

His name will be among the foremost in the annals of Indian wrestling heavyweights, whose career witnessed several highs on the mat but also turmoil off it. He was the first Indian to be ranked world no.1 in a freestyle weight category and also the first to win four world medals.

The 30-year-old Bajrang hasn't officially said that he is giving up the sport but the