Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma is under no illusion about the stern test that awaits him at International Series India presented by DLF, which starts Thursday at DLF Golf and Country Club.

The headlines may be about LIV Golf superstars such as reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau from the United States and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, The International Series Rankings winner last year, but Sharma is confident the local challenge will be strong thanks to the growth of the Asian Tour and The International Series.

Sharma, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour who has plied his trade more recently on the DP World Tour, said: “I can say this very proudly, but Indian golf has done so well in the last 10, 11 years since I have been a professional.

“A lot of the Indian players have applied their craft on the Asian Tour, and this is where I started as well – I won the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2018 and that’s where things really started for me, that was my first big trophy and the Asian Tour has always been my home.”

Shubhankar Sharma after winning the 2018 Maybank Championship – the year he claimed the Asian Tour Order of Merit title. Picture by Arep Kulal/Asian Tour.

He is joined this week by an impressive line-up of Indian players, that includes Anirban Lahiri, who plays with DeChambeau and England’s Paul Casey for Crushers GC, and Gaganjeet Bhullar, an 11-time winner on the Asian Tour, the most by an Indian.

“I have always said that [about the Asian Tour]. It’s where I learned to compete with the best and where I got a proper introduction into international golf and it is very heartening to see what the Asian Tour has got with The International Series,” added the 28-year-old.

“I couldn’t be happier for the Asian players and it’s great to see where the game is going and not only for India but for all the other countries that are doing so well.  The fields are getting so much better, there’s more depth and the competition is so much more.

“I think The International Series events just shows that, I played in Riyadh at the end of last season (the season-ending PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers) and I saw what the competition level was, it was low scoring but for me it’s amazing.

“For me it’s a homecoming – not only playing in India but playing on the Asian Tour. It’s much more relaxed and I know everyone so it’s a great atmosphere.”

This week’s US$2million event is the second event of the season on the Asian Tour and the first of the year on The International Series.