India enjoyed another productive day at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, with the country’s medal tally rising to six as shooting once again delivered important podium finishes. Indian athletes were also active across badminton, mixed martial arts, hockey, kabaddi, table tennis, swimming and other disciplines on September 21.
Shooting continued to be India’s strongest medal source. Himanshu Dhillon won silver in the men’s 10m air rifle individual final with a score of 252.4, while Rudrankksh Patil secured bronze with 230.9. China’s Sheng Lihao won gold with 254.2. Earlier, Dhillon, Patil and Parth Mane combined to earn silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event after posting 1890.1 points.
The results took India’s shooting medal count to five and helped lift the country’s overall medal tally to six. India was listed with four silver and two bronze medals in an updated results table, showing how heavily shooting had contributed to the early stages of the campaign.
India shooting medals Asian Games 2026 lift tally to six
Himanshu Dhillon’s silver and Rudrankksh Patil’s bronze were among India’s standout performances of the day. Both shooters remained in contention throughout the men’s 10m air rifle final, while the earlier team silver added another medal to India’s strong shooting campaign.
India also celebrated a historic medal in mixed martial arts. Suchika Tariyal secured bronze in the women’s traditional 60kg category, becoming India’s first Asian Games MMA medallist in an edition where mixed martial arts is making its Games debut.
The women’s hockey team entered Day 2 with confidence after an emphatic 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan in its opening Pool B match. Deepika scored eight goals in that win. India’s next scheduled Pool B fixture was against Indonesia on September 21.
Kabaddi and table tennis also added to India’s busy programme. The men’s kabaddi team was scheduled to face Japan, while the women’s team had Bangladesh on its fixture list. India’s women’s table tennis team also recorded a 3-0 victory over Pakistan in group action, with Sutirtha Mukherjee, Syndrela Das and Sreeja Akula winning their respective matches.
India badminton Asian Games 2026 starts strongly against Bangladesh
India’s men’s badminton team began its campaign against Bangladesh in the team event. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty gave India early wins, putting the side in control of the tie. Shetty defeated Gourab Singha 21-4, 21-13 after Lakshya had won the opening match.
Srikanth Kidambi then took the court against Al Amin Jumar and won the opening game 21-15. At the time of the live update, India led the overall tie 2-0 and needed one more victory to secure progression.
India’s badminton squad for the men’s team event includes Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Tharun Mannepalli, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Hariharan Amsakarunan, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila.
With medals already arriving from shooting and MMA and several team events still underway, September 21 developed into another significant day for the Indian contingent. The early medal tally showed India without a gold at that stage, but four silver and two bronze medals had already been secured as competition continued across multiple venues in Japan.
