By Team INVC | INVC NEWS
AICHI-NAGOYA, Japan | September 20, 2026 — India’s medal hunt at the Asian Games 2026 moves into top gear on Sunday, with Indian athletes chasing podium finishes in Teqball, Shooting and Wushu as the first full competition day delivers several high-stakes events.
The Indian contingent has a particularly busy September 20 schedule, with medal contests beginning early in the morning and major team events continuing through the day.
Among the biggest names to watch are Quimcy Dsouza in Teqball and shooters Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod in the women’s 10m air rifle competition.
Quimcy Dsouza Chases Historic Teqball Medal
India has two direct opportunities to reach the Teqball podium today.
Quimcy Dsouza is scheduled to compete in the women’s singles bronze-medal match, while she will also return alongside Mohamed Anas Imran Beg for the mixed doubles bronze contest.
The women’s singles bronze match is scheduled for 6:30 AM IST, while the mixed doubles medal match follows at 7:00 AM IST.
A medal would carry added significance because Teqball is making its Asian Games debut.
The emerging sport combines football-style ball control with a curved table and elements of table tennis. India currently has only a relatively small pool of registered competitive players, making its early medal challenge notable.
Shooting Could Deliver India’s First Major Medal Haul
India’s shooters also enter Sunday with a strong opportunity.
Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod are competing in the women’s 10m air rifle qualification, which also determines the team medals.
The qualification and team competition begins at 6:15 AM IST.
Shooters who qualify individually will return for the women’s 10m air rifle final later in the morning.
That gives India the possibility of challenging for both team and individual medals from the same event.
Wushu Opens India’s Day
Wushu provided India’s first competitive action of the day.
Mayanglambam Suraj Singh entered the men’s Changquan final at 5:30 AM IST, making Wushu one of India’s earliest medal opportunities on Sunday.
India has a solid history in the sport, having won multiple Asian Games medals in Wushu across previous editions.
Later in the day, Aparna is scheduled to face Iran’s Sogand Sinkaeichetan in the women’s 52kg Sanda Round of 16, while Vikrant Baliyan takes on Iran’s Soheil Mousavi in the men’s 75kg Round of 16.
Those Sanda bouts are not direct medal contests today, but victories would move the Indians closer to the podium rounds.
Women’s Cricket Team Faces Bangladesh in Semi-final
Another major Indian medal campaign reaches a crucial stage today.
The defending champion Indian women’s cricket team will face Bangladesh in the semi-final at 10:30 AM IST.
Victory would guarantee India a place in the gold-medal match and ensure another Asian Games cricket medal.
India enters the tournament as defending champion after winning gold at Hangzhou 2023.
The semifinal therefore ranks among the day’s most important team events for the Indian contingent.
Hockey Campaign Also Begins
Both Indian hockey teams start their Asian Games campaigns today.
The women’s team faces Uzbekistan at 7:30 AM IST, while the men’s team takes on Indonesia at 11:30 AM IST.
Neither match decides a medal today, but strong opening performances will be important for India’s longer-term medal ambitions.
Badminton, Table Tennis and Swimming Add to Packed Schedule
India is also competing across several other disciplines.
The women’s badminton team begins its campaign against Kazakhstan.
Swimming action includes Indian entries in the men’s 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke, with finals later in the day for those who qualify.
The programme makes September 20 one of India’s busiest early days at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
India Looking to Build on Historic Hangzhou Campaign
India enters the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games following its strongest-ever Asian Games performance.
At Hangzhou 2023, India won more than 100 medals and finished fourth in the overall standings.
For 2026, India has sent a contingent of 503 athletes, competing across dozens of disciplines.
That puts considerable attention on how quickly the medal tally starts moving.
Sunday offers India its first major opportunity to make that happen.
India’s Biggest Medal Events Today
Teqball — Women’s Singles Bronze
Quimcy Dsouza
6:30 AM IST
Teqball — Mixed Doubles Bronze
Quimcy Dsouza / Mohamed Anas Imran Beg
7:00 AM IST
Shooting — Women’s 10m Air Rifle Team Medal Event
Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, Vidarsa Vinod
From 6:15 AM IST
Shooting — Women’s 10m Air Rifle Individual Final
Subject to qualification
11:00 AM IST
Wushu — Men’s Changquan Final
Mayanglambam Suraj Singh
5:30 AM IST
India therefore begins Sunday with genuine podium opportunities almost from the opening hours.
If Teqball or Shooting delivers, the country could open its Asian Games 2026 medal account early.
