Aichi-Nagoya. On the third day of the Asian Games, excellent performance of Indian players was seen in different sports. India continued their unbeaten run at the 2026 Asian Games with an impressive 63-31 win over South Korea in their second Group ‘A’ match at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium on Tuesday morning. Captain Sunil Kumar’s team, many of whose raiders and defenders are well-known players of the Pro Kabaddi League, took control of the match from the very beginning and never let it go.
On the other hand, in cricket, the Indian women’s team won the toss and decided to bat first in the title match against Sri Lanka, while in fencing, Hemash Sanasam and Sachin made it to the last-32 round of the men’s foil individual event. Whereas, in Karate, India’s Chetan Bhatt had to face defeat in the bronze medal match.
India made a strong hold in the first half itself
The Indian raiding unit was excellent throughout the match, scoring 38 ‘out points’ compared to Korea’s 23 points, while the defense supported them with several successful tackles and repeatedly halted Korea’s attacking rhythm.
By halftime India had taken a lead of 34-14. This lead was achieved on the basis of 23 ‘out points’ and seven bonus points as well as two ‘all-outs’ in the first half itself, to which Korea had no answer.
Dominance continued in the second half also
Korea’s raiders struggled to break into the Indian defense and managed only 10 ‘touch points’ before the break. Something similar was seen in the second half too, in which Korea put up a little more fight but could never raise hopes of a comeback.
After the resumption of the match, India added 29 more points, had another ‘all-out’ and took their tally of bonus points in the match to 17, while Korea got 17 points, but it was not enough to close the gap.
Confidence increased with second consecutive win
With this win, India are firmly on their way to top Group ‘A’ as they have defeated hosts Japan and Korea in consecutive matches. The men’s team will now face Bangladesh in the next Group A match on September 23.
Women’s cricket team eyeing the title
The Indian women’s team won the toss and decided to bat first in the final of the Asian Games cricket competition against Sri Lanka. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur took this decision after winning the toss. Special attention was kept on Shefali Verma in India’s batting. He scored his first T20 century in the last match against Bangladesh. The presence of Smriti Mandhana and Shefali strengthened the top order of the Indian team. In bowling, Shri Charani has impressed by taking wickets continuously and other bowlers of the team have also supported him well. India has made it to the finals in the tournament by registering easy wins against Japan and Bangladesh.
Playing XI of India and Sri Lanka
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Gunalan Kamalini, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Nandini Sharma and Kranti Gaur.
Sri Lanka: Imesha Dulani, Chamri Atapattu (captain), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Hansima Karunaratne, Koushani Nutyangana (wicketkeeper), Mithali Ayodhya, Kavya Kavindi, Chamudi Praboda and Sugandhika Kumari.
Hemash and Sachin in last 32 in fencing
In the men’s foil individual event, India’s Hemash Sanasam and Sachin entered the knockout round after registering three wins each in their respective pools. Both players made it to the last-32 with three wins and two losses in five matches. Hemash will now face Galim Nurumov of Kazakhstan in the last-32 match. At the same time, Sachin will face Timofey Semyonov of Kazakhstan. Hemash defeated Eimura Kazuki of Japan, Samuel Tranquilan of Philippines and Saeed Al Shuaibi of Oman in the pool stage. They faced defeats against players from Singapore and Macau. Sachin defeated Baryal Khan of Pakistan, Galim Nurumov of Kazakhstan and Chingis Narmandakh of Mongolia, while he suffered defeats against players from Chinese Taipei and South Korea.
Chetan Bhatt missed the target of medal in karate
India’s Chetan Bhatt could not secure a bronze medal in the karate men’s 84 kg kumite category. In the bronze medal match, he lost against Meng Yu Chung of Chinese Taipei on the basis of ‘Senshu’ rules after a 1-1 draw. Both players scored one Yuko point each, but Chung scored the first point of the match. For this reason he was declared the winner on the basis of Senshu. Earlier in the semi-finals, Chetan had to face defeat by 0-8 against Jordan’s Mohammad Aljafari.
India’s eyes on more medals on the third day
On the third day of the Asian Games, the Indian team is eyeing the title match of cricket as well as the knockout round of fencing. While the women’s cricket team has a chance to win the gold medal, Hemash and Sachin will be looking to make it to the next round in the foil event.