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India won two medals on the opening day and assured two more with Elavenil Valarivan ending her wait for an Asiad medal in style.
(From left) Vidarsa Vinod, Sonam Maskar and Elavenil Valarivan. (PTI Photo)
India made a strong start to their Asian Games 2026 campaign on Sunday, securing as many as four medals while producing a host of commanding performances across events. The medal haul includes two silver medals in shooting and two confirmed medals in mixed martial arts and women’s cricket. The men’s and women’s hockey teams began their campaigns in dominant style, producing goal-fests, while there was heartbreak in teqball with Quimcy D’souza coming close to winning a historic bronze.
Here’s a look at India’s performance on the opening day.
Elavenil Doubles Up with Two Silvers
India opened its medal account in the shooting ranges as Sonam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan and Asian Games debutant Vidarsa Vinod combined for silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event. India finished with 1898.0 points, behind China’s world-record 1904.2, while Japan took bronze with 1897.1. Sonam led the Indian effort with 634.1, followed by Elavenil’s 633.5 and Vidarsa’s 630.4. Elavenil then added an individual silver, finishing with 252.4 points, just 0.6 behind Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who set an Asian Games record of 253.0. South Korea’s Ban Hyo-jin won bronze.
“I think I knew that somewhere I was in the top three, and although I was coming back to focusing on my process and my technique, I did get a bit relaxed. I really need to work on my finals some more. I think that’s all. I felt I gave my absolute best and I’m glad it turned out that way,” Elavenil said.
Indian Men And Women Teams Record Statement Wins
Defending champions India overwhelmed Indonesia 13-1 in their men’s Pool A opener, with Dilpreet Singh scoring four goals. Shilanand Lakra and Sukhjeet Singh added two each, while Abhishek, Rajinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh also found the net. India led 7-0 at half-time and will next face Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
“We played really well. We are focused on our basics and game structures,” Dilpreet said. “It’s a great team effort as we are helping each other on the pitch.”
The women were even more emphatic, crushing Uzbekistan 19-0 in a Pool B match. Deepika Sehrawat scored a record eight goals, the best individual tally by an Indian woman in a single Asian Games match. Ishika Chaudhary struck three times, while Lalremsiami, Baljeet Kaur, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Lalthantluangi and Sakshi Rana also scored.
Shafali Ton Sends India Into Final
Reigning champions India stormed into the women’s T20I final after defeating Bangladesh by 114 runs. Shafali Verma smashed an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls, including nine sixes and three fours, as India posted 195/4. Nandani Sharma then took three wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 81. India will meet Sri Lanka in Tuesday’s final, guaranteeing at least a silver medal.
Suchika Guarantees India A Medal
Suchika Tariyal defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 to reach the women’s traditional -60kg semi-finals to assure India of a medal in the sport’s Asian Games debut. The 36-year-old, who has competed in judo, kurash and jiu-jitsu, will fight in the semi-finals on Monday. However, India’s other MMA entrant Varun Sanyal withdrew from the men’s 77kg event after becoming exhausted and dehydrated during a sauna session while attempting to cut weight. The IOA said he suffered generalised cramps and body ache and was medically unfit to compete.
Winning Start In Badminton
PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma swept Kazakhstan 3-0 in the women’s badminton team event without dropping a game. India will face hosts Japan in the quarter-finals. “We have a good team, and Japan also is a good, strong team, so it’s going to be a tough one,” Sindhu said.
Women’s Maintain Winning Start, Men’s Have A Mixed Day
India’s men’s and women’s table tennis teams began with identical 3-0 wins over Indonesia. The women’s team then produced a thriller later in the day to beat Singapore 3-2. However, the men’s team, in India’s final event of the day, were blanked 0-3 by Iran.
Teqball Heartbreak
Quimcy D’Souza narrowly missed out on two bronze medals in teqball, losing her singles and mixed doubles bronze-medal matches. She returned to the court despite suffering a back spasm and gluteus muscle strain.
In swimming, Rishabh Das qualified fifth overall for the men’s 100m backstroke final with a time of 54.85 seconds. However, he finished sixth in the final held later in the day. In Wushu, Suraj Singh was placed 11th in the men’s changquan wushu final with 9.683 points, finishing just 0.040 behind the podium.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Elavenil Valarivan secured two silver medals on the opening day of the Asian Games 2026, one in the women’s 10m air rifle team event and another in the individual category.
Ask News18About the Author
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
September 20, 2026, 5:33 PM IST
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