Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 21 (ANI): India began their men's kabaddi campaign at the Asian Games 2026 in dominant fashion, defeating Japan 49-24 in their opening match on Monday.
Japan opened the scoring with a bonus point, but India quickly responded as Ayan Lochhab levelled the scores with a touch point. India soon took complete control of the contest. Ashu produced a superb three-point raid before India's defence successfully tackled a Japanese raider, followed by another raid point that helped India inflict their first all-out and establish an 11-2 lead.
The Indian side continued to dominate and inflicted a second all-out to extend their advantage to 18-2. India went into half-time with a commanding 31-9 lead, with Ashu and Devank making an impact in the raiding department, while Sunil Kumar and Rahul contributed strongly in defence.
India maintained their dominance after the break, with Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun Deshwal and Aslam Inamdar joining the action and adding to the team's attacking strength.
Japan showed greater resistance in the second half and managed to add more than 20 points, but India remained firmly in control throughout. India eventually sealed a comprehensive 49-24 victory to make a strong start to their Asian Games campaign.
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Meanwhile, India enjoyed a strong day at the Asian Games 2026, securing more medals across shooting and mixed martial arts, while athletes also progressed to finals in swimming and registered wins in boxing, soft tennis and table tennis.
In shooting, Himanshu won silver and Rudrankksh secured bronze in the men's 10m air rifle individual final. Earlier, Rudrankksh and Himanshu had qualified for the final after finishing third and seventh respectively, while Parth Mane finished 11th. The Indian trio had also won silver in the team event.
In mixed martial arts, Suchika Tariyal secured a bronze medal after losing to Singapore's Teo Hui Hoon in the women's traditional 60kg semifinal.
In boxing, Sumit defeated Thailand's Bunjong Sinsiri in the men's 70kg Round of 32 bout to advance in the competition.
Soft tennis saw Aadhya Tiwari and Jay Meena record wins over Cambodia and Mongolia in their mixed doubles Group B matches. They also lost to South Korea's Kim Yeon-hwa and Jaekyu Park before suffering defeat against the Philippines' Christy Sanosa and Sherwin Nuguit in the round of 16.
In swimming, Srihari Nataraj advanced to the men's 50m backstroke final, with Rishabh Das named as reserve. Mani Akash and Gitesh Shah missed out on the men's 50m freestyle final, while Dhanush Suresh failed to qualify for the men's 100m breaststroke final.
In wushu, Nyeman Wangsu finished 15th in the women's Changquan final. In table tennis, India defeated Pakistan 3-0 in the women's team Group F match. India, however, suffered a setback in sepaktakraw, losing to Japan in the men's team regu Group B match. (ANI)
Asian Games 2026: India thrash Japan 49-24 in men's kabaddi opener
