The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, continued on Tuesday, September 22, with Indian athletes competing across multiple disciplines including cricket, badminton, shooting, boxing, table tennis, kabaddi and more. The Games officially opened on September 19, and Day 3 delivered India’s long-awaited first gold medal of the edition.
Women’s Cricket: Dominant Gold Medal Win
The highlight of the day was the women’s cricket final at Korogi Athletic Park. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side posted a strong 216 for 3 and then bowled Sri Lanka out for just 69 runs, securing a comprehensive 147-run victory and the gold medal.
The men’s team produced an impressive 3-0 quarterfinal win over hosts Japan. Lakshya Sen recovered from a game down to beat Kodai Naraoka 11-21, 21-5, 21-19. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty followed with a doubles victory, and Ayush Shetty sealed the tie. The result advanced India to the semifinals and assured the contingent of at least a bronze medal.
The women’s team, however, suffered a 1-3 defeat against Japan in their quarterfinal, ending their medal hopes in the team event.
Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane qualified second in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event but finished fourth in the final with a score of 312.3, missing out on a medal. Shooting had been India’s strongest contributor in the opening days, and this was the first shooting final of the Games without an Indian podium finish