Asian Games 2026 Day 1: India Opens Medal Account with Two Silvers as Hockey, Cricket and MMA Shine
India began its campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 with two silver medals on Day 1, while several Indian teams produced impressive results across cricket, hockey, badminton and mixed martial arts.
Shooting provided India's first medals of the Games, with Elavenil Valarivan playing a central role by winning silver in both the women's 10m air rifle team and individual events.
India Wins Two Silver Medals in Shooting
India's medal campaign began in the women's 10m air rifle team event.
The Indian trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod finished second with a score of 1898.0, securing India's first medal of the Asian Games.
China won gold with 1904.2, while Japan took bronze.
Elavenil then returned for the individual final and added another silver medal to India's tally.
She finished with 252.4 points, just 0.6 points behind Japan's Hinata Taichi, who won gold with an Asian Games record 253.0. South Korea's Ban Hyojin won bronze.
For Elavenil, the individual medal was particularly significant as it marked her first individual Asian Games medal after previous appearances at the continental Games.
Suchika Tariyal Assures India Another Medal in MMA
India also secured another podium finish through Suchika Tariyal in women's Traditional MMA 60kg.
Tariyal defeated Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2–0 in the quarterfinal and progressed to the semifinals, assuring India at least a bronze medal.
The achievement is significant because MMA is making its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Shafali Verma Powers India into Women's Cricket Final
India's women's cricket team produced one of the day's biggest performances.
India defeated Bangladesh by 114 runs in the semifinal to book a place in the gold-medal match.
India scored 195/4, with Shafali Verma smashing her maiden T20I century, scoring 100 from 49 balls.
Bangladesh were then restricted to 81, giving India a commanding victory and guaranteeing another medal opportunity for the country.
India Start Hockey Campaign with Huge Wins
Both Indian hockey teams made emphatic starts.
The Indian women's hockey team defeated Uzbekistan 19–0, while the men's team defeated Indonesia 13–1.
The women's victory was particularly dominant, with Deepika Sehrawat scoring eight goals.
Both teams will now look to continue their strong starts as they progress through the group stages.
Badminton Team Makes Winning Start
India's women's badminton team also opened its campaign with a 3–0 victory over Kazakhstan.
PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma won their respective singles matches, with India progressing to the quarterfinals without dropping a game.
India will face hosts Japan in the quarterfinal stage.
Table Tennis and Other Results
India also recorded victories in table tennis, although the day produced mixed results across different events.
Indian athletes were also involved in swimming, wushu and teqball, with some competitors progressing while others exited their respective events.
The opening day therefore produced a mixture of medals, assured podium finishes and important early victories for Indian teams.
Asian Games 2026 Medal Tally After Day 1
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 11 | 6 | 3 | 20 |
| 2 | Japan | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| 3 | South Korea | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Thailand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Myanmar | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Macao, China | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Kuwait | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Chinese Taipei | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | India | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
India finished joint 10th after Day 1 with two silver medals.
India's Medal Summary After Day 1
Gold: 0
Silver: 2
Bronze: 0
Total: 2
Medal winners:
Elavenil Valarivan — Women's 10m Air Rifle Individual — Silver
Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar & Vidarsa Vinod — Women's 10m Air Rifle Team — Silver
Medal assured:
Suchika Tariyal — Women's Traditional MMA 60kg — at least Bronze
Gold-medal match secured:
India Women's Cricket Team
A Promising Opening for India
Day 1 of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games provided India with a strong combination of medals and performances across multiple sports.
Elavenil Valarivan led the medal charge with two shooting silvers, while Suchika Tariyal assured another medal in MMA. India's women's cricket team reached the gold-medal match, and both hockey teams began their campaigns with massive victories.
With several medal events still to come, India's medal tally is expected to change rapidly as the Games move into the next stages.
The Asian Games have only just begun, and India's medal campaign is underway.\
Sportspredictor | Author: Anirudh Gaur
Sports Management & Operations
