Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 22 (ANI): India continued its dominance in women’s cricket on the continental stage as Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. secured the country’s first gold medal of the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. The men’s badminton team also produced a strong showing against hosts Japan to secure a place on the podium, making Tuesday a memorable day for the Indian contingent.
India successfully defended its women’s cricket title with a commanding 147-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final, taking the country’s medal tally to seven and ending the wait for its first gold of the Games. The Indian contingent also assured medals in men’s badminton and wushu, while the men’s hockey team continued its impressive scoring run with a resounding 16-1 win over Sri Lanka in their Pool A encounter.
India experienced mixed results in shooting and table tennis, while the country’s boxers maintained their unbeaten streak and gymnast Pranati Nayak booked her place in the vault final. Meanwhile, the Indian women’s cricket team continued its impressive campaign with another dominant display to successfully defend its Asian Games title.
After choosing to bat first, India posted a massive 216/3, their highest-ever total in women’s cricket at the Asian Games. Smriti Mandhana spearheaded the innings with a blistering 79 off 45 deliveries, while Richa Ghosh provided the finishing touch with an unbeaten 49 off just 22 balls.
Shafali Verma added a brisk 48 off 29 balls as India asserted their dominance from the outset of the gold-medal clash. The bowlers then completed the job in emphatic fashion, bowling Sri Lanka out for just 69 to secure a comprehensive 147-run victory.
The triumph handed India their first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games and marked their second successive women’s cricket gold at the Asian Games.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s badminton team, which won silver at the previous edition, produced a commanding 3-0 victory over Japan to book their place in the semifinals and secure at least a bronze medal.
Lakshya Sen gave India the breakthrough after overcoming a difficult start against world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka. After dropping the opening game, Sen found himself trailing 14-19 in the decider before producing a stunning comeback to prevail 11-21, 21-5, 21-19.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then extended India’s lead with a hard-fought 21-18, 24-22 victory over former world champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, putting the team within touching distance of the semifinals.
Ayush Shetty completed the job with a composed 21-10, 21-19 win over world No. 16 Koki Watanabe, sealing India’s place in the last four and assuring the team of at least a bronze medal. The victory also provided a boost to the men’s team after the women’s side suffered a quarterfinal exit earlier in the day.
India’s women’s badminton team exited the Asian Games after suffering a 1-3 defeat to Japan in the quarterfinals. Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu gave India a strong start but was eventually beaten 23-21, 18-21, 6-21 by world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi.
Unnati Hooda then went down 16-21, 18-21 against 2022 world junior champion Tomoka Miyazaki, putting Japan in a commanding position. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand kept India’s hopes alive with a hard-fought 21-17, 21-16 victory over Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
However, Tanvi Sharma was unable to force a deciding match, going down 12-21, 10-21 to former world champion Nozomi Okuhara as Japan sealed its place in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Roshibina Devi Naorem continued her impressive run at the Asian Games, assuring herself of a third consecutive medal at the continental event.
Roshibina defeated Macao, China's Chu Man Sin in the women's Sanda 60kg quarterfinal at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall. The victory took Roshibina into the semifinals and guaranteed her at least a bronze.
The men’s hockey team continued its dominant start to the competition with another emphatic victory, thrashing Sri Lanka 16-1 in its second Pool A match. Jugraj Singh led the scoring with four goals, while Abhishek Singh and Dilpreet Singh completed hat-tricks as India maintained its attacking momentum.
India's boxers also enjoyed a productive day.
Sakshi Chaudhary produced one of the day’s notable upsets, defeating Paris Olympic bronze medallist Aira Villegas in the women’s 51kg category to book her place in the pre-quarterfinals. Jadumani Singh also advanced to the last 16 in the men’s 55kg category with a commanding 5-0 victory over Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa.
In table tennis, India’s women’s team booked its place in the quarterfinals after edging Thailand 3-2 in a closely fought contest. The men’s team, however, bowed out in the round of 16 following a 0-3 defeat to South Korea. The loss came after India had also suffered a defeat to Iran in the group stage.
Gymnast Pranati Nayak qualified for the women’s individual vault final after finishing seventh among 19 competitors in the qualification round. The three-time Asian Gymnastics Championships bronze medallist recorded a combined score of 12.916 to secure her place in the eight-gymnast final, scheduled for September 24. (ANI)
Golden Tuesday for India: Women’s cricket bags gold, Badminton and Wushu assure medals at Asian Games
