Punjab Newsline | Sports
The Asian Games 2026 campaign has started on a strong note for India, with the country’s athletes making their presence felt across several sporting disciplines. On the opening day of action, the Indian women’s cricket team produced a dominant performance against Bangladesh to book its place in the final, while the women’s hockey team also registered a massive victory against Uzbekistan.
The Indian women’s cricket team defeated Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semi-final to secure a place in the gold-medal match. Batting first, India posted a huge total of 195 runs for four wickets in 20 overs. Bangladesh struggled in the chase and was bowled out for just 81 runs, giving India a comfortable victory.
Shafali Verma was the standout performer with the bat. She smashed an unbeaten century off just 49 balls, including nine sixes and three fours. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also contributed with a valuable 40-run knock as India put up a commanding total. With the ball, Nandani Sharma and Deepti Sharma picked up three wickets each to help India dismiss Bangladesh.
India will now face Sri Lanka in the final, with a gold medal at stake.
The Indian women’s hockey team also began its Asian Games campaign in spectacular fashion. India overwhelmed Uzbekistan 19-0 in a one-sided contest. The Indian players dominated from the beginning and kept the pressure on throughout the match. Deepika was the star of the show, scoring eight goals to play a major role in the emphatic victory.
Shooting also brought success for India. The Indian women’s team comprising Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vitharsha K. Vinod won the silver medal in the 10m air rifle team event. Elavenil also secured another silver medal in the individual 10m air rifle final.
Indian athletes also made progress in badminton and table tennis. The Indian women’s badminton team began its campaign against Kazakhstan, while India’s men’s and women’s table tennis teams recorded 3-0 victories over Indonesia.
In mixed martial arts, Suchika Tariyal defeated her Mongolian opponent to secure a medal for India.
With strong performances across cricket, hockey, shooting, badminton, table tennis and other disciplines, India’s medal campaign at the Asian Games 2026 is well underway. Several more Indian athletes and teams will be in action in the coming events, with the focus now shifting to the next round of medal opportunities.
