Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 28: India enter Day 9 with 37 medals. Men’s cricket starts against Afghanistan, while Avinash Sable returns in the steeplechase. Javelin, boxing and shooting add further medal routes.
India closed Day 8 at the Asian Games 2026 with 37 medals. The haul comprises four gold, 16 silver and 17 bronze. Seven of those medals arrived on Sunday.
Monday’s programme in Aichi-Nagoya packs several key storylines into a single day. Men’s cricket gets under way, while athletics hosts nine finals featuring Indian athletes. Boxing and shooting offer further routes to the podium.
Cricket enters the fray
India’s men’s cricket team starts its campaign at the quarter-final stage. The defending champions face Afghanistan at Korogi Athletic Park. The fixture repeats the Hangzhou 2023 final, which India won. Afghanistan took silver on that occasion. A quarter-final opener leaves little margin for error.
Sable leads the athletics focus
Athletics offers India one of its largest medal opportunities of the day. Nine finals featuring Indian athletes are set for the evening session.
Avinash Sable’s return to the 3000m steeplechase is the headline act. He won silver in the event at Hangzhou. He now returns after a long injury layoff. His race offers a first measure of where his comeback stands.
Hangzhou silver medallist Murali Sreeshankar and David Patturaj Solomon contest the men’s long jump. Gulveer Singh runs the 1500m, and Parul Chaudhary the women’s 5000m. Both have already won medals at these Games. The women’s discus, both 400m hurdles races and the women’s 4x100m relay also feature.
Javelin without Chopra
The men’s javelin presents India with an unfamiliar situation. Defending champion Neeraj Chopra is absent. Chopra delivered India’s javelin gold at the previous two Asian Games.
Commonwealth Games medallist Yash Vir Singh and Rohit Yadav now carry the challenge. Leading contenders include Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga. Past success offers India no guarantee in a different field.
Boxing and shooting add medal routes
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain fights Korea’s Seong Suyeon in the women’s 75kg quarter-final. Victory would guarantee her a medal. Priya Ghanghas and Kapil Pokhariya are also one win from the podium.
In shooting, Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat contest women’s 25m pistol qualification. The event is Bhaker’s final chance of an individual medal at these Games.
A wider programme
Squash moves into team events. Singles finalists Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh join after settling for silver.
In compound archery, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Chikitha Taniparthi feature in the women’s draw. Sahil Jadhav and Ganesh MRatnam Thirumuru represent India in the men’s competition.
The men’s hockey team meets Bangladesh in its final Pool A match. Pinky Balhara competes in kurash, while volleyball and tennis also continue.
A day of many routes
Day 9 spreads India’s medal chances across cricket, athletics, boxing and shooting. How much of that opportunity converts will shape the next phase of India’s campaign.
