India not a sporting superpower, but can make presence felt at Asian Games

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Both hockey teams could do with nailing down that Olympic qualification – for 20 years ago, they didn’t secure Beijing participation. The men’s team has won two Olympic bronzes since, but an Asiad gold is something best sealed before dreaming too big.

A Nagoya gold in archery will perhaps be the most significant, with the sport offering six individual and two team quotas. The gettable one is in the Compound mixed team event, a discipline Indians have long dominated, but the stakes have never been this high to prove the Koreans can be denied.

Mirabai Chanu on the podium at the medal ceremony after she won her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold (PTI Photo)

India are not exactly favourites in Recurve either. But Dhiraj Bommadevara is considered a generational talent. He will need tonnes of adaptability in cloudy, windy conditions though to beat Koreans such as Sim Woo-jin, though both gold and silver fetch quotas. There’s no Deepika Kumari in the women’s entries, and the likes of Ankita Bhakat will need to be at their best to grab a coveted final.

Another notable omission is that of Manika Batra in table tennis, though India got a medal courtesy Ayhika (another shocking absence) and Sutirtha Mukherjee, who will compete at Nagoya. There are no Olympic quotas available, but a men’s doubles medal from Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah might start a happy streak.

Making a racket

Squash and tennis offer a men’s singles and women’s singles quota each to the winner. And while Anahat Singh has the Malaysian leader in Asia in her sights, it is in tennis with Sumit Nagal that India can dream. Dhaksineswar Suresh has been on a roll these last 12 months, but he won’t be fielded in singles – curiously. The quota is quite alluring though. Surfing, dinghy sailors and triathlon are other LA-coded golds, with a lesser Indian likelihood though.

But there are other battles and match-ups that offer intriguing storylines.

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Like weightlifter Mirabai Chanu’s pursuit of the elusive Asiad podium, or a badminton singles gold – a good time for Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty to spring back to life. India also hasn’t won a rowing gold since Dattu Baban Bhokanal, Sawarn Singh, Om Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh got home the Quadruple sculls top spot in 2018, but lightweight’s Ujjwal Kumar has had a good year.

The Asian Games really gets exciting on match-ups though: CWG 60kg champion boxer Sachin Siwach taking on Uzbeki royalty Abdumalik Khalolov. Or 51 kg breakout pugilist Sakshi Chaudhary going up against Chinese Olympic champ Wu Yu for gold. Or Jyothi Yarraji, who won a silver at Hangzhou, once again getting flanked by old Chinese rivals, Wu Yanni and Lin Yuwei, in the 100m hurdles.

The first medal up for grabs will pit 10m Air Rifle shooters Elavenil Valarivan-Tilottama Sen-Sonam Uttam Maskar against the latest Chinese sensation, Wang Zifei.

All of India’s attention has shifted to Pistol though, as seeking redemption in Japan is former world champion Rudrankksh Patil. Interestingly, Patil won the world title while still a teen in 2022, but failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics. The boy who won bronze when Patil won gold, Chinese Sheng Lihao, spearheads their shooting bunch, while only 21 years old, but already a double Olympic champion.

Redemption due

There are a few other names that haven’t fulfilled their touted potential. India has endless patience for the talent of 97kg wrestler Deepak Punia, but Nagoya might be a good place to put it past Russian-born Bahrain heavyweight, Akhmed Tazhudinov. India hasn’t won an Asiad wrestling gold since Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia’s 2018 triumphs, when Deepak picked silver.

India’s Tejaswin Shankar competes in the men’s decathlon long jump at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Asiad medals tend to rain on India in track and field. However, gold could be hard-earned. High jumper Pooja bombed at the Commonwealth Games but redemption could come at Nagoya – she has Uzbek Barnokhon Sayfullayeva, a pair of Kazakhs and Chinese Jiawen Lu snapping at her heels. Rumesh Pathirage looms large on the javelin field, but Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav have a chance to keep India interested if they can get into 87m+ territory.

Sarvesh Kushare and Tejaswin Shankar can carry forward their success train from the CWG, and the sprinters are due to ‘not’ mess up.

While two kabaddi golds are demanded, the superstar cricket teams too can pay their dues, with a fuss-free march to gold. Temporary stands are being erected at a baseball stadium that seats 500. Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer can send the humble Asiad into a higher entertainment sphere.

A slightly sentimental feeling tinges badminton. It might well be the last Asian Games for HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu. Though Sajan Prakash never quite medalled at this stage, his effort to slash a second from his timing will be followed by Indian fans.