Asian Games 2026: India wins yachting, wrestling silver; cricket and hockey teams enter gold medal matches
Prince Kurisinkal Noble, Manu Francis and Nitesh Siwach (Image credit: Agencies) India had a mixed but medal-filled day at the Asian Games on Thursday, winning silver medals in sailing and Greco-Roman wrestling, while the defending champions in men’s cricket and hockey reached their respective finals.India’s medal tally rose to 65, including 10 gold, 23 silver and 32 bronze, keeping the country in the top 10 rankings.
Sailing gives India early silverware
Cousins from Kerala, Prince Kurisinkal Noble and Manu Francis, gave India its first medal in men’s sculls. The Indian pair finished second behind China and ahead of China’s Hong Kong. They won one race and finished second in three of the nine races.It was India’s first sailing medal of the ongoing Asian Games.India also won bronze in the women’s sculls as Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma finished on the podium.
Silver in Greco-Roman wrestling
India added another silver later in the day when Nitesh Siwach finished second in the men’s Greco-Roman 97kg event.Siwach lost 0:4 to the Japanese Yuri Nakazato in the final. A silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling is a rare achievement for India at the Asian Games.
Squash teams settle for bronze
Both the Indian men’s and women’s squash teams ended their campaigns with bronze medals after losing their respective semi-finals. The women’s team of Anahat Singh, Joshana Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna and Shameena Riaz lost 1-2 to Hong Kong.Anahat, who has already won silver in the singles, had four match points but was unable to complete her opening match against world number 25 Sin Yuk Chan. She lost 2-3 (11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-13, 10-12).Tanvi then kept India’s hopes alive with a 3-1 (4-11, 13-11, 11-9, 13-11) win over world No. 40 Ka Yi Lee. But veteran Joshana Chinappa lost in straight games to world No. 39 Ho Tze Lok to end India’s hopes of reaching the final.The men’s team of defending champions Abhay Singh, Velavan Senthilkumar, Veer Chotrani and Suraj Chand also settled for bronze after losing 1-2 to Malaysia.
Ganesh adds another archery bronze
Combined archer Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru added a bronze medal to India’s tally after winning the men’s individual bronze. Ganesh, who was part of India’s men’s gold team on Wednesday, defeated Vietnam’s Cong Duc Dang 149-144. The 20-year-old had an outstanding performance in the playoffs, hitting the target on 14 of his 15 shots.Ganesh lost 144-148 to South Korea’s Kim Chong in the semi-finals. He fell 29-30, 29-30, 29-28, 29-30, 28-30.
Cricket: India crush Sri Lanka
The Indian men’s T20 team had little practice and game time ahead of the semi-final against Sri Lanka. But none of that showed after the match started. Led by Shreyas Iyer, India posted 169/7 on a difficult pitch before bowling out Sri Lanka for just 45.Ishan Kishan played a key role with an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls, while pace boss Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel took two wickets each.India now face Pakistan in the gold medal match after Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in the other semi-final.
Hockey: Abhishek saves India from Pakistan scare
Defending champions India survived a huge scare against Pakistan before Abhishek scored with just 45 seconds left to seal a dramatic 4-3 win in the men’s hockey semi-final.Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored from two penalty corners in the fifth and 13th minute, while Sukhjeet Singh added a field goal in the 23rd minute. India looked in control at that stage but Pakistan defended strongly after the break.Abu Mahmood scored in the 30th minute, Hannan Shahid in the 45th and Waheed Rana in the 49th to bring Pakistan level.India struggled to regain control as Pakistan’s forwards put the defending champions under sustained pressure.As the match headed for a shootout, Abhishek created the decisive moment in the last minute. His effort deflected off Pakistan defender Sufiyan and beat goalkeeper Ali Raza.India will face the winner of the other semi-final between South Korea and Malaysia in the final.
Pranavi puts India in the hunt for golf medals
Pranavi Urs produced one of the best rounds of the day in women’s golf, carding a seven-under 63 to move into second place. He is just two shots behind leader Shannon Tan of Singapore.Pranavi started with back-to-back birdies and birdied four of the first six holes. She then added three more birdies between the 13th and 16th holes. She finished the round without a single shot. Her performance also propelled India to the bronze medal in the women’s team event, with India posting a score of 7 under 273.Diksha Dagar is T-21 after rounds of 71 and 73, while Aditi Ashok is T-25 after scores of 71 and 74. The top two scores from each round count toward the team medal.
India is assured of sepaktakraw medal
India secured at least a bronze medal in the men’s sepaktakraw quadrant after the semi-finals. India beat Myanmar 2-1 to finish unbeaten and top Group A. India won 10-15, 15-13, 15-7 after earlier victories over Laos and Vietnam. They beat Vietnam 2-0 (15-12, 15-9) during the day. The semi-finals are played on Friday.
The tennis campaign ends without a medal
The Indian tennis team will return from the Asian Games without a medal for the first time since 1986.Sumit Nagal’s men’s singles quarter-final exit ended India’s tennis campaign. Nagal lost 4-6, 4-6 to China’s Yibing Wu in one hour and 38 minutes on Thursday.Indian judokas, cyclists and pistol shooter Anish Bhanwala also did not miss out on medals after leaving their events early.