The Indian hockey teams, both men and women, turned up in saffron kits for their respective opening matches of the Asian Games despite the pre-event declaration by Hockey India that they would revert to blue uniforms.
It was not a silver won, but a gold lost for Elavenil Valarivan at the Aichi General Shooting Gallery, the 27-year-old letting a sure title chance slip away by easing up too early in the final. In the opening match for Team India as the Men’s Table Tennis Team defeated Indonesia 3–0 in their opening Group F Elavenil Valarivan added an individual silver to the team silver she won earlier in the day, finishing runner-up in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, on Sunday (September 20, 2026). The 2025 world championship bronze medallist shot 252.4 points in the final to finish behind Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who won gold with an Asian Games record 253.0. South Korea’s Hyojin Ban took bronze with 230.4. Elavenil entered the final two shots just 0.3 points behind Taichi and remained in contention after shooting 10.4 to the Japanese shooter’s 10.6, which stretched the gap to 0.5. Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod combined for a total of 1898.0 points to finish second behind China, who topped the standings with a world-record score of 1904.2. This is India’s first confirmed medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games. – PTI Yu became the youngest swimming world championships medallist in history last year when she won bronze as a 12-year-old as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team. Yu Zidi opened her Asian Games campaign at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre by breezing through her women’s 200m butterfly heat, qualifying for Sunday evening’s final with the fastest time in 2min 7.97sec. – AFP Japan’s Takumi Hojo got host nation Japan off to a perfect start when he won the first gold medal of the Asian Games in the men’s individual triathlon. Hojo finished the 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5,000m run in 52min 56sec, nine seconds clear of China’s Zhang Xirui, who took silver, with Kazakhstan’s Arlan Zhanabay a further six seconds behind in third. -AFP From teqball to virtual taekwondo, here‘s a look at the new sporting competitions, that promise a more dynamic and spectacular Asian Games. Read the full story below: 2026 Asian Games: Discover the six exciting debut sports at the Aichi-Nagoya event, including teqball, virtual taekwondo, and more. The Indian contingent for Asian Games 2026 features notable names, including Olympic medallists P.V. Read the full story below 2026 Asian Games: Discover key Indian athletes to watch at the games, including PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, and Manu Bhaker.
The two Indian teams had first played in saffron during last month’s World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands, which created a massive controversy. The decision triggered internal discord when HI president Dilip Tirkey stated that the change was implemented without the knowledge or approval of the federation’s elected leadership and Executive Board. PTI There is a lot that Keralam is known for, including sports. Shooting, though, isn’t one of them. For Vidarsa K. Vinod, however, that made little difference in her pursuit of a sport that has now made her perhaps the second most famous shooter in the State. She also finished a whisker outside the medals in fourth in three world individual events. Sindhu and Manu Bhaker.
The women’s cricket semi-final match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been delayed due to logistical problems. – The Hindu Bureau
India will next play Sri Lanka on Tuesday. -PTI Needing a strong final shot to turn the tables, Elavenil managed 10.1, but Taichi held her nerve with a 10.2 to seal the gold and set a new Asian Games record. – PTI Shafali Verma slammed a strokeful unbeaten maiden T20 century to power defending champions India to 195/4 against Bangladesh in the semifinal of women’s cricket at the Asian Games on Sunday (September 20, 2026). Opting to bat, Shafali (100 not out off 49 balls) and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (37 off 19) shared a quickfire 72 in six overs to hand India an explosive start. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (40 off 33) also played a strong part in the middle. For Bangladesh, Sanjida Akter Meghla (1/25) was pick of the bowlers. – PTI India opener Smriti Mandhana became the leading run-scorer in women’s T20Is, surpassing New Zealand great Suzie Bates’ tally of 4,758 runs during India’s Asian Games semifinal against Bangladesh, on Sunday (September 20, 2026). The 30-year-old elegant left-hander needed seven runs to break the record as she reached the landmark in the third over, hammering Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter for back-to-back boundaries off the final two deliveries of the over.
Dilpreet (18th, 19th, 37th, 49th) scored four field goals, while Shilanand Lakra (6th, 35th) and Sukhjeet Singh (38th, 48th) scored a brace each for India. The other goal scorers were Abhishek (12th), Rajinder Singh (19th), Mandeep Singh (21st), skipper Harmanpreet Singh (28th), and Jugraj Singh (47th). Indonesia’s consolation goal was scored by Aulia Al Ardh in the 33rd minute. Mandhana’s record also gives India two batters in the top five of the women’s T20I run-scoring charts, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur occupying third place. – PTI
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan after her silver medal-winning performance in the women’s 10m air rifle individual event at the Asian Games 2026. “Hearty congratulations to Elavenil Valarivan on securing a silver medal in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Individual event at the Asian Games 2026. Reigning T20I world champions India will face Japan at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday (September 22, 2026), and the match will be live on FanCode, the official broadcaster of the contest. The 27-year-old was to compete in the men’s traditional 77kg quarterfinal bout today, but was declared medically unfit for the event. Striker Dilpreet Singh showed glimpses of his brilliance with four goals as defending champions India outplayed minnows Indonesia 13-1 in their opening Pool A match of the Asian Games today. Vidarsa K Vinod has become the first female sportsperson from Keralam to win a medal in a shooting event by securing silver in the women’s 10 meter air rifle team event at the 20th Asian Games being held in Japan. Vinod’s first Asian Games, where she is also competing in the women’s 50m rifle 3 Positions event. Shafali Verma slammed her maiden T20 century to power India into the final of women’s cricket event at the Asian Games with a 114-run win over Bangladesh. Opting to bat, India rode on Shafali’s unbeaten 100 off 49 balls (9 sixes, 3 fours) to post 195 for four in the second semifinal. Smriti Mandhana made a quick 37 while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored 40 off 33 balls. Indian bowlers bundled out Bangladesh for just 81 in 15.4 overs. Opener Dilara Akter (27 off 23) top-scored for Bangladesh. Nandani Sharma (3/25), Shree Charani (2/7) and Deepti Sharma (3/7) were among the wickets. – PTI Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod combined well to win the silver medal in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Team Event. Elavenil Valarivan also claimed individual silver in 10m air rifle India began their shooting campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on a high, winning a silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle team event on Sunday (September 20, 2026). Deepika slammed as many as eight goals as the Indian women’s hockey team thrashed lowly Uzbekistan 19-0 in their opening Pool B match at the Asian Games, on Sunday (September 20, 2026). The scenario became bad to worse for Uzbekistan as the Indians pumped in as many as 11 goals in the last two quarters. – PTI India began their women’s team table tennis campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a dominant 3-0 win over Indonesia in their opening Group F fixture, on Sunday (September 20, 2026). Sreeja Akula put India ahead in the opening rubber, beating Ni Maharani 3-1. After dropping the second game 8-11, Sreeja bounced back to win the next two 11-4 11-4. India are grouped alongside Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore in Group F. – PTI Suchika Tariyal secured India’s first medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 to storm into the women’s Traditional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) 60kg semifinals on Sunday (September 20, 2026). To save costs, the more than 17,000 Asian Games participants will stay in temporary huts, hotels and a cruise ship. So I think to be very fair to Japan and to the organising committee, I was really impressed.” – AFP China’s 13-year-old prodigy Yu Zidi and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle cruised through their heats on Sunday (September 20, 2026) as swimming got under way on the opening day of the Asian Games. Pakistan Women’s Cricket team will take on the Bangladesh Women’s Cricket team in the first semi-final of the Asian Games women’s cricket competition today. – The Hindu Bureau Discover when and where to watch the Asian Games 2026 in India, featuring live coverage on Sony Sports and Sony LIV. Read the full story below Asian Games 2026: Full India schedule and details of key events It will be the 20th edition of the Games and the third time Japan has hosted the event, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Read the full story below: Explore the Asian Games 2026 schedule, venues, key events, and India’s athlete lineup for this exciting multi-sport competition.
After finishing 12th in the individual competition of the 10m air rifle at the Asian Games and winning a team silver, Vidarsa had no regrets. Shooting star Vidarsa K. Vinod eyes greater success after a solid performance at the Asian Games, embracing future challenges. Uthra Ganesan Elavenil Valarivan reflects on her performance, acknowledging the need for improvement after narrowly missing gold at the Asian Games. The leaders also lauded Elavenil, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K. Vinod for securing silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event. Your outstanding performance has brought honour to the nation. ANI The Indian hockey teams, both men and women, turned up in saffron kits for their respective opening matches of the Asian Games despite the pre-event declaration by Hockey India that they would revert to blue uniforms. The two Indian teams had first played in saffron during last month’s World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands, which created a massive controversy. The decision triggered internal discord when HI president Dilip Tirkey stated that the change was implemented without the knowledge or approval of the federation’s elected leadership and Executive Board. PTI Japan Cricket Association COO Alan Curr hoped that the historic maiden T20I against India would boost the sport’s profile in his country, helping it to take a firm step towards achieving global recognition. “The boys are excited. An opportunity like this doesn’t come around very often for us,” Curr responded to a PTI query during a joint media interaction. This was Ms. Keralam Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan congratulated Ms. Vinod on her achievement via a video call, visuals of which were shared on X. The gulf between the two sides was quite evidently visible on the turf as it was raining goals for India from the start. Ms. The air conditioning is working well. India is defending both the men’s and women’s titles in cricket and kabaddi. The Indian men’s hockey team will also be defending their crown.
MMA athlete Varun Sanyal withdraws from Asian Games after being declared medically unfit due to exhaustion and dehydration.
I convey my best wishes to you for greater achievements in future,” Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on X. Against Baigalmaa, who is ranked 92nd in the Eurasia region, Tariyal controlled the contest to seal a 2-0 victory and a place in the last four. – PTI IOC president Kirsty Coventry called the shipping container-style huts for Asian Games athletes “beautiful” on Sunday (September 20, 2026) but conceded they were “a little tighter” than similar accommodation at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Coventry said “the cabins are quiet, they’re very cool.
PTI India’s Mixed Martial Arts fighter Varun Sanyal was forced to withdraw from the Asian Games today without competing even once after exhaustion and dehydration caused him to pass out during a sauna session at his cruise ship accommodation. Sanyal was trying to cut weight for today’s competition when the incident took place.
