New Delhi: India’s Day 12 at Asian Games 2026 on Thursday was marked by medals, major finals berths and a series of hard-fought exits as Indian athletes remained active across a wide range of disciplines.
India currently occupies eighth position in the medal tally with 10 gold, 22 silver and 32 bronze medals.
The day produced a silver medal for wrestler Nitesh Siwach in the men’s Greco-Roman 97kg category, while Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Noble opened India’s sailing medal account with silver in the men’s skiff event. Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru added a bronze in men’s individual compound archery, according to reports.
India also strengthened its position in team sports. The men’s cricket team stormed into the final with a 124-run victory over Sri Lanka, setting up a gold-medal clash with Pakistan. The men’s hockey team also reached the gold-medal match after defeating Pakistan 4-3 in the semi-final.
India’s women’s squash team secured a bronze medal after losing 1-2 to Hong Kong, China, in the semi-final. The men’s squash team also ended its campaign with a bronze after losing to Malaysia in the semi-final.
In another significant development, India made history in sepaktakraw by defeating Vietnam 2-0 in the men’s quadrant Group A match to enter the semi-finals and assure itself of a medal.
Nitesh Siwach’s silver came after he lost to Japan’s Yuri Nakazato in the Greco-Roman 97kg final. Earlier, Nitesh had secured his place in the medal round with his run through the event.
In compound archery, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru won the bronze medal in the men’s individual event after suffering defeat in the semi-final. However, Chikitha Taniparthi’s campaign ended in the women’s individual compound quarterfinals, where she lost 143-144 to Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah.
Sailing brought another podium finish for India as Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Noble finished second in the men’s skiff event to claim silver.
The men’s cricket team produced one of the day’s biggest wins, beating Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-final to book its place in the gold-medal match against Pakistan.
In men’s hockey, India defeated Pakistan 4-3 in the semi-final to advance to the gold-medal match.
The women’s squash team had to settle for bronze after Hong Kong, China, won the semi-final 2-1. India’s men’s squash team also finished with bronze after its semi-final defeat against Malaysia.
The day also saw India assure itself of another medal in sepaktakraw. The Indian men’s quadrant team defeated Vietnam 2-0 in Group A to qualify for the semi-finals.
There were several setbacks across individual events. Mansi lost her women’s 62kg wrestling semi-final 0-6 to Japan’s Nonoka Ozaki but moved into the bronze medal bout. Inunganbi Takhellambam lost her women’s -70kg quarter-final but progressed to the bronze medal bout through the repechage before losing that contest as well.
Yamini Mourya lost her women’s 57kg judo quarterfinal and later suffered defeat against Japan’s Shirakane in the repechage. Aman was beaten in the men’s Greco-Roman 77kg quarterfinal and failed to enter the repechage, while Sumit suffered a quarterfinal defeat in the men’s Greco-Roman 60kg category and also failed to get into the repechage.
In shooting, Anish Bhanwala qualified for the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol final after finishing ninth in the qualification round. He eventually finished seventh in the final.
Tennis player Sumit Nagal’s campaign ended in the men’s singles quarterfinals after he lost to China’s Wu Yibing.
Cyclist Harshveer Singh Sekhon finished 10th in the first of four races in the men’s omnium scratch race. In the women’s sprint, Keerthi Rangaswamy Chikka and Celestina were eliminated in the 1/16 stage.
In taekwondo, Rupa Bayor finished fifth in the women’s individual poomsae semi-final and missed out on a medal.
India’s men’s volleyball campaign also ended in the quarterfinals after a 0-3 defeat to Pakistan.
