Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 2 (ANI): India’s campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games enters its penultimate day with a packed schedule on Saturday, with the men’s T20 cricket final against arch-rivals Pakistan and the men’s hockey medal-round clash against Malaysia among the biggest attractions.
The day will begin early with action across golf, archery, taekwondo, sailing and wrestling, before India’s cricket and hockey teams take centre stage later in the day.
In golf, Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar and Pranavi Sharath Urs will compete in the women’s fourth and final round at the Kasugai Country Club East Course from 2:40 AM IST, while Yuvraj Sandhu, Veer Ahlawat and Saptak Talwar will feature in the men’s round from 4:45 AM.
Archery action begins at 5:30 AM, with Kumkum Anil Mohod taking on South Korea’s Chaeyoung Kang in the women’s recurve individual quarterfinal. The semifinals, bronze medal match and gold medal match are scheduled through the morning.
Later, Dhirak Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge will compete in the men’s recurve individual events, with elimination rounds beginning at 9:30 AM.
In taekwondo, Kashish Malik will face South Korea’s Yujin Kim in the women’s -57kg round of 16 at 5:42 AM, while Jyoti Yadav takes on Thailand’s Kannaluck Chuenchooklin in the women’s +67kg round of 16 at 6:30 AM.
India’s women’s rugby sevens team will begin its day against Singapore in the fifth-to-eighth place qualification match at 6:20 AM, while the men’s volleyball team will face Thailand in the fifth-place match at 9:30 AM.
The wrestling mats will also see several Indian contenders in action. Sagar Jaglan (74kg) will face Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir, Deepak Punia (97kg) will take on China’s Junpeng Zhou, while Aman Sehrawat (57kg) will enter the competition in the pre-quarterfinals.
In the women’s draw, Manisha Bhanwala (57kg) will face South Korea’s Youngjin Kwon, while Antim Panghal (53kg) will take on Kazakhstan’s Shugyla Omirbek. The wrestling programme will continue through the day, with medal bouts scheduled in the afternoon.
Indian sailors will also be in action, with Mahi Verma competing in the women’s dinghy races and Katya Coelho featuring in the women’s windsurfing events.
The biggest attraction of the day, however, will be the men’s T20 cricket final, where India will face Pakistan for the gold medal at Athletic Park Korogi from 10:00 AM IST. Both teams have remained unbeaten on their way to the title clash.
The men’s hockey team will then take on Malaysia in the medal round at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium from 3:30 PM, with another medal on the line for India.
With several medal opportunities across disciplines and two high-profile team contests dominating the schedule, Day 14 promises another action-packed day for the Indian contingent at the Asian Games. (ANI)
Asian Games 2026: India face arch-rivals Pakistan in cricket gold clash, Malaysia in hockey medal round on Day 14
