Indian Athletes Achieve Success in Hockey, Cricket, and Archery on September 13th

In the thrilling final of the Women's Asian Cup 2026, the Indian squad achieved a convincing victory over Sri Lanka by a margin of 72 runs, thereby adding a brilliant trophy to its arsenal. Throughout the entire match, the dominance of the Indian athletes was evident.

The players who batted first on the field created a real storm, and subsequently, the bowlers forced the Sri Lankan batsmen to concede. Thus, India once again confirmed its status as a dominant force.

Choosing the toss, the Indian team started the game with batting. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided an explosive start, setting a record partnership of 129 runs in the first innings. Shafali scored 68 runs, hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes off 39 balls. Smriti Mandhana also played a powerful innings, scoring 59 runs with 5 fours and 3 sixes off the same 39 balls.

However, after Shafali lost her wicket at a score of 129, the Indian momentum slightly faltered. The score, which could have exceeded 200 at that moment, stopped at 183 because the middle-order players could not handle the pressure. Ultimately, thanks to small contributions from Richa Ghosh (17 runs) and J. Kamalini (15* runs), India posted a substantial total of 183 runs in 20 overs, losing 5 batsmen.

The Sri Lankan team, which needed to chase a large target of 184 runs, faced a very poor start. Kranti Gaude put pressure on Sri Lanka, delivering early blows and forcing the team into a defensive posture. Nevertheless, captain Chamari Attapattu and Wismi Gunaratne tried to restore hope to the team by forming a partnership of over fifty runs, but Dipti Sharma ended these remaining hopes by dismissing both batsmen in one spell.

After this, Sri Charani broke the back of Sri Lanka by unleashing her spin magic, sending Harshita Samarwickrama and Kavisha Dilhari to the pavilion. The Sri Lankan team managed to score only 111 runs, and India won the Asian Cup final by 72 runs, hoisting the trophy high.

Despite the final score of the India versus Pakistan match in the Women's Asia Cup 2026, held on Saturday (September 5), being one-sided, the behavior of Pakistani captain Fatima Sana drew the most attention. Her manner of sending the player off after dismissing her raised many questions.

In the match played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Indian team scored a modest total of 56 runs. While chasing these runs, Shafali Verma showed determination by hitting a six on the very first ball. However, she managed to score only 12 runs and was forced to leave the field in the second over. Fatima Sana's ball hit her on the edge of the bat and immediately went into the bowler's hands.

After Fatima Sana dismissed Shafali Verma, declaring her out via caught and bowled, she accompanied her with a 'cold' farewell, which suddenly heated up the atmosphere on the field. Fatima pointed to the fielding team to signal to Shafali that it was time for her to return to the bench. Fortunately, the Indian batter did not respond to this gesture, otherwise, the situation could have escalated.

Subsequently, Fatima Sana sent Pratik Rawal to the pavilion with a personal score of 4 runs. She then dismissed Smriti Mandhana via LBW, dealing the third blow to India. By taking three wickets in the powerplay, Fatima achieved a significant feat: she became the fourth player in the squad to twice take three wickets in the powerplay in Women's T20 International.

Although the Pakistani captain dealt early blows to India by dismissing Shafali Verma and others, these attempts were not enough to secure a victory for Pakistan. After the three dismissals brought the score to 29 runs, the Indian captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Dipti Sharma took charge. Both batters played cautiously, preventing Pakistan from gaining further chances.

Dipti hit a four through mid-wicket off Nashra Sandhu's ball in the seventh over. Following this, Harmanpreet hit a six in the ninth over, securing India's victory by 7 runs. Prior to this, Indian spinners had restricted Pakistan's innings to just 55 runs. Shri Charni, Prema Rawat, Shafali Verma, and Dipti Sharma prevented the Pakistani batters from playing freely. Pakistan's score when three wickets fell was 27 runs, but a series of dismissals followed. Besides Shawal Julfikar (14 runs) and Munib Ali (13 runs), no Pakistani batter managed to reach ten runs.

The Indian delegation is fully prepared for the Asian Games 2026, which will be held in Ithenag. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has approved the composition of the delegation, numbering 758 people, for the period from September 19 to October 4. This group includes 503 athletes and 246 support staff.

India will participate in 35 out of 43 sports. Previously, India demonstrated outstanding results at the Asian Games, surpassing the mark of 100 medals for the first time, winning 107 medals in Hangzhou. Now, Indian athletes aim to improve these figures in Japan.

The Indian team comprises 269 male and 234 female athletes. Initially, participation of 492 athletes was approved, but subsequently, another 11 people were added. Among the new participants are six track and field athletes, four surfers, and one mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete.

In track and field, Pravin Kumar, Harita Bhadra, Kiran Pahal, Asha Ilango, Sindhuri Ganesha, and Sanya Yadav have secured spots. In MMA, Varun Sanyal has joined the team, and in surfing, Kishor Kumar, Shivaj Babu, Kamali Prakash, and Sugar Shanti Gaen are included.

Cricket Team Composition

The Indian cricket delegation (men and women) consists of 50 people, including 20 support staff. Viv S. Laxman will head the men's team, and Amol Majumdar will take charge of the women's team. Both Indian teams are considered strong contenders for victory in cricket.

Hockey Team

In hockey (men and women), India will send a delegation of 54 people, consisting of 40 athletes and 14 support staff. Hockey remains one of India's main hopes for winning medals at the Asian Games.

Despite its significance, Niraj Chopra's name will not be among the participants in the Indian delegation. The star javelin thrower Niraj withdrew from the tournament due to a knee ligament injury. Niraj previously won gold medals at the Asian Games in Jakarta (2018) and Hangzhou (2023), and his absence is a serious blow to India's campaign in athletics.

Furthermore, a delegation of 19 officials from the Indian Olympic Committee will travel to Japan. Sahedh Yadav, head of the Weightlifting Federation, has been appointed as the mission chief, assisted by four deputy mission chiefs. Dr. Dinasho Pardiwala has been assigned the role of Chief Medical Officer.