Asian Games 2026 Day 4: India Finally Opens Gold Account as Women’s Cricket Team Defends Title
India’s wait for its first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya ended on Day 4, with the women’s cricket team delivering the country’s biggest result of the day.
Harmanpreet Kaur-led India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the women’s T20 final to retain the Asian Games cricket title. The victory took India’s medal tally to seven -one gold, four silver and two bronze.
The cricket final was not the only significant result for India. The men’s kabaddi team continued its title defence with another commanding win, while Indian athletes remained in contention across shooting and several other disciplines.
Smriti Mandhana sets up India's first gold
India chose to bat first in the women's cricket final and produced a formidable 216 for 3 in 20 overs.
Smriti Mandhana provided the foundation with a superb 79 off 45 balls, while Shafali Verma contributed 48. Richa Ghosh then supplied the late acceleration, finishing unbeaten on 49 from 22 deliveries.
Sri Lanka faced a daunting target of 217 and struggled to build a sustained response.
The Indian bowling attack kept taking wickets at regular intervals, with Deepti Sharma claiming 3/6. Shafali Verma and Shree Charani also played important roles as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 69 in 15.4 overs.
India's 147-run victory secured its first gold of the Aichi-Nagoya Games and also marked a successful defence of the women's cricket title won at the previous Asian Games.
Kabaddi team keeps its title defence on track
India's men's kabaddi team produced another emphatic performance, defeating South Korea 63-31 in a Group A match.
The defending champions established control early, leading 34-14 at half-time before extending the advantage after the break. The result was India's second consecutive victory in the group following the opening win over Japan.
India's next Group A assignment is against Bangladesh, followed by a meeting with Chinese Taipei.
The result also keeps India's campaign firmly positioned around its objective of defending the Asian Games title.
Shooting remains an important part of India's medal campaign
Shooting continued to be one of India's major sources of medals during the early part of the Games.
Before the cricket gold, shooting had already contributed a substantial share of India's medal haul. The Day 4 programme again featured several Indian shooters across mixed-team and skeet events, keeping the sport central to India's medal prospects.
Among the athletes attracting attention was Elavenil Valarivan, who entered the mixed-team 10m air rifle event alongside Parth Mane.
The Indian contingent also had representation in men's and women's skeet, adding another layer to the day's shooting programme.
India's medal tally moves to seven
The cricket victory changed the complexion of India's campaign.
At the beginning of the day, India had six medals and was still searching for its first gold. By the conclusion of the women's cricket final, the tally stood at:
Gold: 1
Silver: 4
Bronze: 2
Total: 7
The gold came from women's cricket, while India's earlier medals had largely come from shooting, alongside a bronze in mixed martial arts.
The result also meant that India's women's cricket team successfully defended the title it won at the previous Asian Games.
More Indian athletes remain in contention
The end of Day 4 did not mark the end of India's medal opportunities.
The Indian contingent continues to have athletes competing across shooting, weightlifting, badminton, kabaddi, hockey, boxing, equestrian and other disciplines.
The following days are particularly important for athletes such as Manu Bhaker and Mirabai Chanu, who are among India's prominent competitors in shooting and weightlifting respectively. The wider schedule also includes continued action in badminton, hockey and kabaddi.
The Celebrity Hour Take
The most important development from India's fourth day at Aichi-Nagoya is not simply the addition of a gold medal to the tally. It is the manner in which the medal came.
India's women's cricket team entered the final as defending champions and produced a performance that left little uncertainty about the outcome. A 216-run total followed by a 69-run dismissal of Sri Lanka turned what could have been a closely contested final into a one-sided contest.
At the same time, the men's kabaddi team continued its own title defence without losing momentum.
For India, therefore, Day 4 provided two different but significant signals: the women's cricket team delivered the campaign's first gold, while the men's kabaddi side maintained its position as a serious contender in its competition.
The medal table will continue to change as more events reach their decisive stages, but the first gold has already given India's Aichi-Nagoya campaign a clear turning point.
Sources & Verification
This report was independently researched using current coverage of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, cross-checking the women's cricket final score, India's medal tally and men's kabaddi result across multiple reports. The cricket result was verified through separate match reports, while the kabaddi score and group-stage position were independently cross-checked.
The article does not treat scheduled future events as completed results. References to upcoming medal opportunities are identified as forthcoming competitions.
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