Metric miler Jinson Johnson and the 4x400m mixed relay team will lead the Indian challenge in the IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Khalifa Stadium here.
In the 10-day event that began on Friday, 27-member Indian squad will be looking to turn in performances that will reflect the Athletics Federation of India's (AFI) vision of rising above continental meets and making an impact at the global level.
There will be a lot of hopes from Johnson as he recently clocked a National record time of 3:35.24 in Berlin. He trained at high altitude in Colorado Springs since then.
However, India will surely feel the absence of two of its leading athletes, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and 400m sprinter Hima Das. Both the athletes have the experience of winning gold at the World Junior Championships but injuries forcibly ruled them out of the World Championships.
Long jumper M Sreeshankar will be the first Indian on view in the World Championships, taking part in the qualification round on Friday. He had qualified for the meet with an 8.20m effort in the National Open Championships in Bhubaneswar last year.
Other Indians slated to be view on the opening day of competition are MP Jabir and Ayyasamy Dharun.