India enjoyed a packed morning of action at the 2026 Asian Games on September 26, with medals and major wins coming across kabaddi, squash, shooting, badminton and athletics. The women's kabaddi team successfully defended its title, while squash stars Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh booked their places in the singles finals.
India wins women's kabaddi gold
India's women's kabaddi team produced a thrilling performance in the final against Iran, winning 37-34 to secure the gold medal.
The victory marks India's second consecutive women's kabaddi gold at the Asian Games and the country's fourth gold in the event overall.
India had led 22-16 at halftime before holding its nerve in a closely contested second half.
Anahat Singh stages stunning comeback to reach final
Young Indian squash star Anahat Singh produced one of the biggest performances of the day.
Facing Japan's world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe in the women's singles semifinal, Anahat fell 0-2 behind. However, she completely turned the match around, winning the next three games to complete a remarkable 3-2 comeback victory.
The win also ended her previous losing record against Watanabe and sent Anahat into the gold-medal match.
Abhay Singh also reaches squash final
India's success in squash continued as Abhay Singh secured his place in the men's singles final.
Abhay dominated his semifinal against Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan, winning 3-0 in a one-sided contest.
With both Indian players reaching the finals, the country now has two strong opportunities to add squash gold medals to its Asian Games tally.
Silver in women's rifle 3-position event
India also began the morning with a silver medal in shooting.
The Indian team of Ashi Chouksey, Tillotama Sen and Vidarsha Vinod finished second in the women's 50m rifle 3-position team event with 1,763 points.
Tillotama and Vidarsha subsequently qualified for the individual final. In that final, however, Tillotama finished fourth and Vidarsha seventh, leaving India just outside the individual medal positions.
Sawan Barwal wins historic marathon silver
Distance runner Sawan Barwal opened India's Day 7 campaign with a historic silver medal in the men's marathon.
The result ended a 44-year wait for India to win a marathon medal at the Asian Games, giving the country's athletics campaign an early boost.
PV Sindhu advances in badminton
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu comfortably progressed to the women's singles third round.
She defeated Chinese Taipei's Chiu Pin Chien 21-19, 21-14 in the second round.
Sindhu will next face Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki.
However, India's Lakshya Sen suffered an early exit after losing a closely fought three-game match to Singapore's former world champion Loh Kean Yew.
India secures bronze in squash mixed doubles
India also added another squash medal as Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar secured bronze in mixed doubles.
The Indian pair lost 1-2 to a Chinese combination in the semifinal but will return home with a bronze medal.
Hockey action underway against Japan
The Indian men's hockey team is also in action against Japan in a Pool A match.
The contest remained goalless at 0-0 after the opening eight minutes, with both teams looking to gain an advantage early in the match.
India continues its medal hunt
With the women's kabaddi gold, shooting silver, marathon silver and squash bronze already secured during the day's early sessions, India continued to build its medal tally.
Several events remain on the schedule, including athletics, shooting, hockey and the squash finals. With Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh both through to their respective squash finals, India has further opportunities to add gold to its growing medal haul.
