India launched its 20th Asian Games campaign in Japan with impressive performances across shooting, cricket, hockey, badminton, and mixed martial arts. The nation secured its first medals in shooting, with Elavenil Valarivan winning silver in the women’s 10m air rifle individual event and leading the team to another silver medal. Meanwhile, dominant displays in women’s cricket and MMA guaranteed additional medals.
India’s first medal of the Games came in the women’s 10m air rifle team event, where Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, and Vidarsa K. Vinod achieved a combined score of 1898.0 to claim silver behind China.
In the individual 10m air rifle final, Elavenil Valarivan secured her second silver medal of the day by scoring 252.4, missing gold by just 0.6 points to Japan’s Hinata Taichi. President Droupadi Murmu congratulated the shooting contingent for bringing early honors to the nation.
(India’s Medals at Asian games 2026)
India’s dominance In Team Sports at Asian Games 2026:
Cricket: The women’s cricket team defeated Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semifinals, backed by Shafali Verma’s historic 49-ball century, securing at least a silver medal ahead of their final against Sri Lanka.
Hockey: The Indian women’s hockey team recorded a historic 19-0 win over Uzbekistan, while the men’s team opened their campaign with a 13-1 victory against Indonesia, led by Dilpreet Singh’s four goals.
Badminton & MMA: The women’s badminton team swept Kazakhstan 3-0 in 90 minutes with wins from PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda. In Mixed Martial Arts, Suchika Tariyal reached the 60kg semifinals to guarantee a medal, though male fighter Varun Sanyal was disqualified due to severe dehydration following travel accommodation delays in Nagoya.
India’s first medal was a silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event, won by Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, and Vidarsa K. Vinod. The Indian women’s cricket team guaranteed at least a silver medal by reaching the final, while Suchika Tariyal guaranteed an MMA medal by reaching the semifinals.
