The opening day has already produced drama for India in Teqball. Quimcy Dsouza came agonisingly close to reaching the women’s singles final after taking control early in the deciding set against Indonesia’s Ima Sumaya. Dsouza led 4-1 but could not maintain her advantage as Sumaya fought back to win the third set 12-7. The Indonesian advanced to the final, while Dsouza will now compete for the bronze medal on Sunday.
Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat are India’s flagbearers for the opening ceremony, underlining the country’s representation across different sporting disciplines.
The 20th edition of the Asian Games runs from September 19 to October 4 and features athletes from 45 countries and regions competing across 43 sports and 469 medal events. Japan is hosting the Games for the third time, having previously staged the event in Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
India finished fourth in the medal standings at Hangzhou with 107 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze. The contingent features five individual Olympic medallists, although Neeraj Chopra has withdrawn from the Games because of an ankle injury.
PV Sindhu will spearhead India’s badminton challenge, while Mirabai Chanu leads the weightlifting team. Manu Bhaker, Lovlina Borgohain and Aman Sehrawat are among the country’s other prominent athletes in shooting, boxing and wrestling.
Athletics is expected to contribute significantly to India’s campaign, with more than 70 athletes competing. Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar and Sarvesh Kushare are among the athletes to watch, while Tajinderpal Singh Toor will seek another shot-put title.
India will also defend its men’s and women’s cricket and kabaddi titles, along with the men’s hockey crown. Shreyas Iyer leads the men’s T20 side, which includes teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, while Harmanpreet Kaur captains the women’s team. Hockey also carries Olympic significance, with the men’s and women’s champions earning direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
