China, Taiwan and Japan won the last gold medals on offer from artistic swimming and karate at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sunday.
India dropped teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi despite his impressive Asian Games run, preferring Sanju Samson as Gautam Gambhir backed experience and resisted pressure to alter the winning combination.
Asian Championships gold medallist Neeru Dhanda has secured her first individual ISSF World Cup title in the women's trap event in Lonato, Italy.
Tanya Chaudhary of Uttar Pradesh has set a new women's hammer throw national record at the Indian Athletics Series Final, achieving a distance of 68.35m and surpassing the previous record held by Anushka Yadav. Both athletes are part of the Asian Games team.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu to win the China Masters Super 750, gaining a major boost ahead of the Asian Games gold defence.
Tejaswin Shankar, India's national record holder in decathlon, secured a bronze medal at the Asian Games but expressed significant disappointment, stating he "lost the silver" rather than "won a bronze." He revealed his competitive drive, particularly against Japan's Yuma Muruyama, whom he beat in the final 1500m race. Shankar also discussed his demanding competition schedule and his strategy to achieve 8300 points for World Championships qualification, alongside his duties as a teaching assistant in the USA.
'Credit to the Japan team for taking on the challenge and putting up a fight.'
Indian cricketers Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Sree Charani, and Shafali Verma have been shortlisted for the ICC Men's and Women's Player of the Month awards for September, recognising their exceptional performances in recent international matches.
Thailand claimed the first esports medal awarded at the Asian Games on Tuesday, winning a bronze in a playoff against Vietnam in a mobile phone game.
Indian weightlifters, including Olympic medallist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and silver medallist Lovepreet Singh, received a hero's welcome upon their return to New Delhi after a successful Commonwealth Games campaign, where they secured eight medals.
Harmanpreet Kaur, India's only World Cup-winning women's cricket captain, has stepped down from her leadership role across all three formats, stating she is now 'ready to play for the love of the game again' after fulfilling her duty as a leader.
Paralympic champion Navdeep Singh is appealing for the inclusion of men's F41 javelin throw in the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics. Faced with uncertainty, he has also taken up shot put, winning a national gold, and is now training for both events to keep his options open. He expresses disappointment over the potential exclusion of javelin but embraces the challenge of learning a new discipline while maintaining his consistency in performance.
At 17, Dipanshi is set to make her Asian Games debut in wrestling, bringing a unique life philosophy that prioritises being a good person over just athletic success. Despite lacking senior-level experience, the three-time Asian championship gold medallist is embracing the challenge with curiosity, learning from top competitors and Japanese coaching, while aiming to forge her own identity in the sport.
Jaspal Rana, a renowned Indian shooting coach and former Asian Games gold medallist, has passed away at the age of 49. He died in a Delhi hospital after undergoing a medical procedure for an illness that occurred during a flight from the ISSF World Cup in Munich. Rana was serving as the high-performance coach for Indian pistol shooters.
Himanshu Dhillon, on his 21st birthday, won the silver medal in the men's 10m air rifle at the Asian Games.
Indian boxers Jadumani Singh and Preeti Pawar have secured their spots in the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Games boxing competition. Jadumani Singh defeated Pakistan's Sumama Rehman with a unanimous 5-0 decision, while Preeti Pawar advanced via Referee Stop Contest against Deborah Mtenje of Malawi. However, Aditya Pratap faced an early exit after losing his opening bout.
Rutuja Bhosale and Rohan Bopanna staged a great comeback after losing the first set to beat Chinese Taipei's combo of Tsung-hao Huang and En-shuo Liang in the final.
India's para badminton chief K Prabhakar Rao has criticised former head coach Gaurav Khanna for publicly predicting the country's medal tally a day before the Asian Para Games finals. Rao stated that Khanna's comments put players under psychological pressure, potentially costing India more gold medals. Players have lodged a formal complaint seeking an inquiry and disciplinary action against Khanna, who had predicted fewer medals than India ultimately won.
Sreeshankar's injury left his mother in tears, but his silver medal soon sparked celebrations at home with laddoos and family joy.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) CEO Raghuram Iyer announced a massive nationwide talent hunt targeting children aged 5 to 15 to identify and nurture future athletes, aiming for 30-40 medals at the 2036 Olympics.
Indian shooter Manish Narwal won a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol SH1 event at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Tuesday, securing a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. This makes him the third Indian para shooter to qualify for LA 2028.
In the Diamond League Final, he will face the world's best in the event, including Olympic champion Thomas Roehler of Germany and last year's winner, Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic.
India is set to host the FISU World University Squash Championship in Mumbai from August 3, aiming for its first-ever gold medal. With home advantage and a bronze medallist from the previous edition, Suraj Chand, the team carries high expectations.
Gayakwad said upcoming editions of the WPL will provide more match-time to the players.
Indian shooters Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane secured second place in the 10m air rifle mixed team qualification at the Asian Games 2026, positioning them for a medal contention. China set a new world record in the same event. Separately, Aadhya Tiwari faced a defeat in her opening soft tennis match but aims to recover in her next game.
Indian para-athletes Sandeep and Haney delivered stellar performances at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, securing gold medals and setting new world records in the men's 400m T64 and men's javelin throw F37/38 events respectively. Their achievements, alongside silver medals for Nimisha Chakkungalparambil and Parmod Bijarnia, propelled India's total medal tally to 100 in the ongoing Games.
Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, fresh off their China Masters victory, reveal their "no Plan B" philosophy, focusing on strengths and tactical adjustments. They attribute their success to improved physical condition post-World Championships and meticulous reviews, which helped them secure their 10th BWF World Tour title and boost confidence for the upcoming Asian Games.
Indian golfer Vani Kapoor achieved a career-best runner-up finish at the Hero Women's India Open, expressing optimism for future Ladies European Tour opportunities. Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum secured her fourth title in India, while 13-year-old Ojaswani Saraswat was named the best amateur.
The Indian women's hockey team secured its second consecutive Pool B victory at the Asian Games, defeating Indonesia 17-1. Deepika Sehrawat, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, and Navneet Kaur each scored a hat-trick, contributing to the dominant performance. Coach Sjoerd Marijne expressed satisfaction but highlighted the upcoming match against Japan as the real challenge for topping the pool and securing direct Olympic qualification.
Shreyas Iyer celebrated India's thrilling T20I victory over New Zealand with an emotional hug for his parents after Sanju Samson and Namn Dhir powered a successful 226-run chase.
Shreyas Iyer scored his maiden T20 International hundred after a crucial two-hour troubleshooting session with former India batting coach Abhishek Nayar. Nayar revealed they worked on Iyer's grip, initial movements, and tactical nuances to help him generate more force and clear boundaries, addressing issues Iyer felt during the Asian Games. Iyer's 43-ball 102 not out led India to an eight-wicket win against West Indies on Tuesday.
India's women's 10m air rifle team, comprising Sonam Uttam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan, and Vidarsa Vinod, secured a silver medal at the Asian Games, marking the country's first medal in shooting. The trio finished second behind China, with Sonam and Elavenil also qualifying for the individual finals, raising hopes for more medals.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed her condolences on the passing of Asian Games gold medallist shooter Jaspal Rana, highlighting his significant contributions to Indian sports as both an athlete and a mentor.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra has announced he will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, including the Asian Games, after sustaining a ligament tear in his ankle during training. This injury is a significant setback for India's athletics campaign.
Indian squash player Anahat Singh was defeated by Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women's quarterfinals of the London Squash Classic. Despite her loss, the reigning world junior champion had previously overcome a higher-ranked opponent to reach this stage and is now preparing for upcoming tournaments, including the Qatar Classic and the Asian Games.
13-year-old amateur golfer Ojaswini Saraswat has made history by becoming the youngest Indian ever to make the cut at a Ladies European Tour event, achieving this feat at the Hero Women's Indian Open with a remarkable three-under 69 in the second round.
Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade have secured India's first mixed doubles medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in 72 years by reaching the semifinals. They defeated South Korea's Park Ganghyeon and Lee Daeun in a thrilling quarterfinal match.
India is sending a 17-member contingent, led by table tennis player Syndrela Das and swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu, to the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Senegal. The team will compete in 11 sports, with athletes like Sarthak Arya viewing the event as a crucial stepping stone for future Olympic aspirations. IOA president P T Usha highlighted the Games' importance for developing future Indian champions.
Tanya Chaudhary broke the women's hammer throw national record with a distance of 68.35m at the Indian Athletics Series Final. Avinash Sable also made a strong return to the 3000m steeplechase, winning his first race in over a year. The event served as a crucial tune-up for Indian athletes heading to the Asian Games, with several other notable performances including wins by Harita Bhadra, Animesh Kujur, Rohit Yadav, and Tajinderpal Singh Toor.
New Zealand paceman Jacob Duffy has acknowledged India's 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as an 'incredible talent' but expects home conditions to challenge the power-hitter in the upcoming Twenty20 series.
