Asian Games 2026 Day 3: India Chase First Gold in a Packed Day of Action
Day 3, September 22, of the Asian Games 2026 brought another packed schedule for the Indian contingent, with medal opportunities across shooting, badminton, cricket, kabaddi, hockey, boxing and several other sports.
Xtratime Webdesk: Day 3, September 22, of the Asian Games 2026 brought another packed schedule for the Indian contingent, with medal opportunities across shooting, badminton, cricket, kabaddi, hockey, boxing and several other sports.
The biggest fixture of the day was the women’s cricket final, where India faced Sri Lanka for the Asian Games gold medal. India entered the contest as defending champions after reaching the final unbeaten. The women’s badminton team also faced hosts Japan in the quarter-finals, with PV Sindhu taking on Akane Yamaguchi in the opening singles. In men’s kabaddi, India continued its campaign against South Korea and secured a 63-31 victory.
Shooting provided another medal opportunity, with Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane competing in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. India also had athletes in action in table tennis, soft tennis and other disciplines as the country continued its hunt for a first gold medal of the Games.
India had ended Day 2 with six medals, including four silver and two bronze. Shooting accounted for five of those six medals, continuing to be the country's biggest medal contributor.
On September 21, Himanshu Dhillon won silver, and Rudrankksh Patil took bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle individual event. The duo had earlier joined Parth Rakesh Mane to win silver in the team event. Suchika Tariyal also created history by winning a bronze in MMA, becoming India’s first Asian Games medallist in the sport.
Away from the medal events, India enjoyed several important results on Day 2. The men’s hockey team began its campaign with a 13-1 win over Indonesia, while the men’s kabaddi side defeated Japan 49-24. India’s men also beat Bangladesh 3-0 in badminton to reach the quarter-finals, while the women’s cricket team booked its place in the final with a 114-run win over Bangladesh.
With several medal events and key matches lined up on Day 3, India continued its campaign across multiple sports in search of its first gold medal of the Asian Games 2026.
