Indian athletes are aiming to add more medals to the country’s tally at the Asian Games 2026, with the women’s cricket team taking centre stage in the gold medal clash against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
India, the defending champions, opted to bat first after both teams retained their playing XIs from their respective semifinal matches.
India made no changes to the side that defeated Bangladesh in the semifinal. Sri Lanka also retained its playing XI as it looks to challenge India in the title clash.
Rain, however, could affect the proceedings, with India’s pre-match practice session washed out.
Tuesday is also a notable day for Japanese cricket as India’s senior men’s team is scheduled to face Japan in a T20 match in Sano before beginning its Asian Games campaign.
The fixture adds another cricketing highlight to the day’s sporting schedule.
India’s medal hopes extend beyond cricket. Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane have qualified for the final of the 10m air rifle mixed team event.
After already securing medals in the team event, the Indian pair will now look to add another medal in the mixed team competition.
In boxing, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sakshi Chaudhary defeated Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aira Villegas in the preliminary round.
The victory secured Chaudhary’s place in the pre-quarterfinals.
There was disappointment for India in badminton as the women’s team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Young Indian player Tanvi Sharma lost to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, ending India’s campaign in the team event.
