Asian Games 2026 wrap Day 3: Cricket adds luster to gold, badminton and wushu

ByTech Word News

India finally opened their gold medal account on Day 3 as Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma led the women’s cricket team to yet another Asian Games title, while Lakshya Sen and Roshibina Devi secured medals in badminton and wushu respectively.

India finally got a gold medal on Tuesday the women’s cricket team beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs to retain the title they won in Hangzhou. Mandhana’s 79, Shafali Verma’s all-round contribution and Deepti Sharma’s 3-wicket haul led India to a dominant win, while Richa Ghosh’s unbeaten 49 provided the late flourish.

Asian Games 2026 Day 3: MAIN VALUES

The gold took India’s medal tally to seven and ended its wait for the top prize at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Earlier, Indian shooters dominated the opening two days, but Tuesday saw wider results, with medals secured in badminton and wushu and strong performances from the hockey and boxing teams.

Lakshya Sen produced one of the most famous comebacks of the day against Japan’s Kodai Naraoka ahead of Satwiksairj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty and Ayush Shetty completed a 3-0 quarter-final victory. The result secured India a medal in the men’s team event, while Roshibina Devi continued her remarkable record at the Asian Games by reaching the semi-finals of the 60kg Sandy.

There were also suggestive performances from the Indian men’s hockey team and boxers Sakshi Chaudhary and Jadumani Singh. At the same time, the day saw disappointments in table tennis, shooting and women’s badminton, ensuring that India’s third day at the Games was not without its share of setbacks.

Pranati Nayak, India’s only gymnast at the Asian Games, added another positive by qualifying for the vault final, while the men’s kabaddi team and the eFootball pair also made headway in their campaigns.

CRICKET DELIVERS INDIA’S FIRST GOLD

India Women produced a clinical performance in the final against Sri Lanka, recovering from a relatively flat start to post 216/3. Mandhana and Shafali put on 99 runs before Richa Ghosh’s unbeaten 49 off 22 balls pushed the total beyond Sri Lanka’s reach.

At 79, Mandhana also became the first woman cricketer to reach 11,000 international runs. Shafali followed up her batting with two wickets while Deepti Sharma claimed three as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69.

The 147-run victory saw India successfully defend the gold won in Hangzhou in 2023. Sri Lanka again finished second and India added its first gold to a medal tally that previously consisted of silver and bronze.

LAKSHYA LEADS BADMINTON SUPPORT

The men’s badminton team delivered when it mattered most against hosts Japan.

Lakshya Sen seemed headed for defeat after losing the opening game to lose 14-19 in the decider against world number seven Kodai Naraoka. Instead, he rattled off seven straight points to complete the comeback 11-21, 21-5, 21-19.

Satwik and Chirag then defeated Hoki Takuro and Kobayashi Yugo 21-18, 24-22 before Ayush Shetty defeated Koki Watanabe 21-10, 21-19 to seal a 3-0 victory.

The result came after the women’s team was knocked out by Japan earlier in the day. PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma lost their singles matches while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured India’s only win.

ROSHIBINA SECURES ANOTHER MEDAL

Roshibina Devi moved into the semi-finals of the women’s 60kg Sanda tournament after defeating Macau’s Chu Man Sin by a point.

The result guarantees Roshiba’s third consecutive Asian Games medal. She won bronze in Jakarta in 2018 and won silver in Hangzhou three years ago.

Other Indian wushu competitors had mixed fortunes. Hanjabam Langlentombi Devi finished ninth in the women’s Nanquan and Nandao finals, while Aryan lost 1-2 to Uzbekistan’s Saydull Aburashitov in the men’s 56kg quarter-finals.

HOCKEY CLUDS, BOXING MILKS

The Indian men’s hockey team continued their strong start with a 16-1 win over Sri Lanka. Jugraj Singh scored four times while Abhishek and Dilpreet Singh completed hat-tricks as India followed up with a 13-1 win over Indonesia.

Sri Lanka’s Suresh Rathnayake created a small piece of history by scoring his first ever Asian Games goal against India. Harmanpreet Singh’s team will face South Korea next.

In boxing, Sakshi Chaudhary defeated Paris Olympics bronze medalist Aira Villegas 5-0 in the women’s 51kg category, while Jadumani Singh registered another 5-0 win over Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa.

Sakshi will next face reigning world champion Alua Balkibekova, while Jadumani will face Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam in the round of 16.

SHOOTING, TABLE TENNIS BRING DUMPS

It was a quieter day for the shooting squad after a medal run earlier in the games. Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the mixed team 10m air rifle final despite entering it as the second seeded pair from the qualifiers.

However, Anantjeet Singh Naruka remained firmly in contention in the men’s skeet after settling into a four-way tie for the lead after four rounds.

Table tennis produced contrasting results. The women’s team first defeated Thailand 3–2 to reach the quarterfinals, but then lost 0–3 to North Korea, while the men’s team exited after losing 0–3 to South Korea.

Pranati Nayak secured another positive result by qualifying seventh for the women’s vault final with a score of 12.916. Jay Meena also reached the men’s singles quarterfinals while Indian men’s kabaddi team beat South Korea 63-31.

The Indian eFootball pair drew 0-0 with Uzbekistan before getting a game against Mongolia. There were also defeats in sepaktakraw, fencing and karate, with the men’s 4x100m medley relay advancing to the final.

INDIA IN ASIAN GAMES: KEY RESULTS ON DAY 3

  • Cricket: India beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs to win the women’s gold medal.
  • Badminton: India beat Japan 3-0 in the men’s team quarter-finals to clinch a medal.
  • Badminton: India lost 1-3 to Japan in the women’s team quarter-finals.
  • Wushu: Roshibina Devi defeated Macau’s Chu Man Sin to reach the women’s 60kg semi-finals and secure a medal.
  • Hockey: India beat Sri Lanka 16-1 in Men’s Group A match.
  • Boxing: Sakshi Chaudhary defeated Aira Villegas 5-0 in the women’s 51kg round of 32.
  • Boxing: Jadumani Singh beat Chandra Bahadur Thapa 5-0 in the men’s 55kg round of 32.
  • Gymnastics: Pranati Nayak qualified seventh for the women’s vault final.
  • Table Tennis: India lost 0-3 to North Korea in the women’s team quarterfinals.
  • Table tennis: India lost 0-3 to South Korea in the men’s team round of 16.
  • Shooting: Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m air rifle mixed team final.
  • Kabaddi: India beat South Korea 63-31 in Men’s Group A match.
  • Soft Tennis: Jay Meena beat Pakistan’s Arain Hussain 4-0 to reach the quarterfinals.
  • eFootball: India drew 0-0 with Uzbekistan before getting a game against Mongolia.
  • Swimming: Indian men’s 4x100m medley relay team qualified for finals.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

22 Sep 2026 18:38 IST