\India enter another action-packed day at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday, October 1, with medal opportunities spread across archery, shooting, wrestling, cycling, squash and several other sports.
The day also features two high-profile India-Pakistan contests. The Indian men’s volleyball team will face Pakistan in the quarterfinals at 6:30 a.m. IST, while the men’s hockey team will meet Pakistan in the semifinal at 1 p.m.
India’s men’s cricket team will also be in knockout action, taking on Sri Lanka in the semifinal at 10 a.m. The winner will advance to the gold-medal match.
The compound archers will be among India’s early medal contenders. Chikitha Taniparthi will face Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah in the women’s individual quarterfinal at 5:30 a.m., while Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru will take on Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chieh-lun in the men’s quarterfinal at 9:47 a.m.
Shooter Anish Bhanwala will compete in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol qualification stage 2 from 6:10 a.m., with the individual final scheduled for noon if he qualifies.
Wrestling will also see several Indian competitors in action. Aman will compete in the men’s Greco-Roman 77kg round of 16, Mansi will feature in the women’s 62kg round of 16, while Sumit and Nitesh are scheduled for their respective Greco-Roman quarterfinals.
Squash will provide two more major opportunities, with India’s women facing Hong Kong in the semifinal at 7 a.m. and the men taking on Malaysia at 1 p.m.
India’s Asian Games 2026 Schedule — October 1
5:30 a.m. — Archery: Chikitha Taniparthi vs Nurisa Dian Ashrifah of Indonesia, women’s compound individual quarterfinal.
5:30 a.m. onwards — Sepaktakraw: India men’s team in Group A action.
5:30 a.m. onwards — Taekwondo: Roopa Bayor in women’s individual poomsae semifinal, followed by the gold-medal contest if she qualifies.
6:10 a.m. — Shooting: Anish Bhanwala, men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol qualification stage 2.
6:30 a.m. — Track Cycling: Harshveer Singh Sekhon, men’s omnium scratch race.
6:30 a.m. — Volleyball: India vs Pakistan, men’s quarterfinal.
7:00 a.m. — Squash: India vs Hong Kong, women’s team semifinal.
7:00 a.m. — Track Cycling: Keerthi Rangaswamy Chikka and Celestina, women’s sprint qualification.
7:22 a.m. — Wrestling: Aman vs Borgil Tuvshinbaatar of Mongolia, men’s Greco-Roman 77kg round of 16.
7:30 a.m. onwards — Sailing: Indian athletes including Mahi Verma, Manu Francis, Prince Kurusinkal, Vishnu Sarvanan, Katya Ida Coelho, Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma in their respective races.
7:30 a.m. onwards — Judo: Yamini Mourya in women’s 57kg; Inunganbi Takhellambam in women’s 70kg.
7:32 a.m. — Wrestling: Mansi vs Irina Kuznetsova of Kazakhstan, women’s 62kg round of 16.
7:36 a.m. — Canoe Slalom: Shikha Chauhan, women’s kayak single semifinal.
7:55 a.m. — Wrestling: Sumit, men’s Greco-Roman 60kg quarterfinal.
8:19 a.m. — Wrestling: Nitesh vs Amanberdi Agamammedov of Turkmenistan, men’s Greco-Roman 97kg quarterfinal.
8:50 a.m. — Rugby Sevens: India vs Hong Kong, women’s pool match.
9:47 a.m. — Archery: Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru vs Chen Chieh-lun of Chinese Taipei, men’s compound individual quarterfinal.
10:00 a.m. — Cricket: India vs Sri Lanka, men’s semifinal.
10:10 a.m. — Golf: Veer Ahlawat, Saptak Talwar and Yuvraj Sandhu, men’s individual and team stroke play, Round 2.
12:00 p.m. — Shooting: Anish Bhanwala, men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol individual final, if qualified.
12:18 p.m. — Track Cycling: Harshita Jakhar and Swasti Singh, women’s Madison final.
1:00 p.m. — Squash: India vs Malaysia, men’s team semifinal.
1:00 p.m. — Hockey: India vs Pakistan, men’s semifinal.
3:30 p.m. — Rugby Sevens: India vs China, women’s pool match.
4:42 p.m. — Sport Climbing: Deepu Mallesh, men’s Speed 4 quarterfinal.
TBC — Tennis: Sumit Nagal vs Wu Yibing of China, men’s singles quarterfinal.
With two India-Pakistan knockout clashes, a cricket semifinal and several individual medal opportunities, October 1 is set to be one of the busiest days for the Indian contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The exact progression of athletes in events involving later rounds will depend on their earlier results.