Sport

Nitesh Siwach entered the men's Greco-Roman 97kg final at the Asian Games after a dominant 9-0 semifinal win over Mongolia's Ganbaataryn Gankhuyag, becoming the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to reach an Asiad final since 1962.

India’s campaign to end a 40-year Asian Games men’s volleyball medal drought ended in disappointment after a straight-sets defeat to higher-ranked Pakistan in the quarterfinals. Pakistan won 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, ending India’s hopes of a first podium finish since 1986.

India’s Chikitha Taniparthi bowed out of the women’s compound individual archery event after a narrow 144-143 quarterfinal defeat to Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Despite the setback, Chikitha had already secured two gold medals in the women’s team and mixed team events.

Uruguay have arrived in Kolkata ahead of their October 6 FIFA international friendly against India, adding to the city’s football buzz ahead of Brazil’s October 3 clash with the hosts. Players also visited the Salt Lake Stadium practice ground

Greyhounds defeated Titans B 75-27 in the GM Sampath Kumar annual league basketball championship at Secunderabad YMCA on Wednesday. Greyhounds led 46-13 at half-time, with Tribhuvan top-scoring with 26 points, followed by Adnan with 15

Hyderabad-based karate Grandmaster Hanshi Shaswat Kumar has concluded his Last Man Standing Kumite World Open Challenge. WSKO said no international senior karate representative formally accepted it, while a separate bout against a local black-belt fighter ended in under 20 seconds

The Telangana Cricket Association has sought clarification from the State DGP on investigations into alleged financial irregularities in the HCA. TCA General Secretary Dharam Guruva Reddy questioned the status of the CID probe and High Court-directed SIT

India defeated South Korea 2-0 in the Asian Games women’s hockey semifinal to assure themselves of a medal. Ishika opened the scoring in the 44th minute before an own goal doubled India’s lead as they booked a final against China

India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson said the team used rain-enforced indoor sessions to work on combinations and stay mentally prepared ahead of their Asian Games semifinal against Sri Lanka. He said players are eager for competitive action after the weather disruptions.

Rest of India skipper Rishabh Pant said he will make the most of every opportunity as he prepares for the Irani Cup clash against Jammu and Kashmir. Pant said his focus remains on giving his best and improving his red-ball rhythm

St Ann’s College for Women, Mehdipatnam, won the Osmania University inter-college women’s chess championship with 19 points. Kasturba Gandhi College finished second with 14.5 points, followed by Villa Marie College with 13 points and Government Degree College for Women, Begumpet

C Sai Tanishq scored 142 and Karthikeya Thati remained unbeaten on 114 as Team L posted 405/8 in HCA Under-16 boys’ multi-day selection matches. D Krish and G Chaitra Sandeep also impressed with five-wicket hauls

India’s men’s and women’s squash teams advanced to the semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after beating Kuwait and Singapore 2-0 respectively. The results assured India of two more medals, adding to the country’s singles and mixed-doubles squash haul.

West Indies posted their highest-ever ODI total of 405/7 against India in the second ODI, powered by centuries from Amir Jangoo, Shai Hope and John Campbell. The visitors crossed 400 for the first time in ODI history

India’s Deepu Mallesh entered the Asian Games men’s speed climbing quarterfinals after finishing 11th in qualification with a best time of 5.09 seconds. Debutant Joga Purty also reached the women’s quarterfinals but exited after a false start

Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai won the mixed team trap gold at the Asian Games, giving Neeru her third medal of the Games. She had earlier won individual gold and team silver, becoming India’s most successful athlete in Nagoya

American coach Scott Simmons credits consistent training and sustained support for India’s breakthrough distance-running performances at the 2026 Asian Games. Gulveer Singh, Sawan Barwal and Seema Kumari trained under him in Colorado Springs before producing medal-winning performances in Nagoya

Telangana’s Chikitha Taniparthi capped a remarkable journey by winning two compound archery gold medals at the Asian Games. Backed by her farmer father and mentor Abhishek Verma, the 21-year-old has overcome financial and training challenges and secured India a quota place for LA 2028

Indian judoka Ashmita Dey lost her women’s 48kg bronze medal bout to Mongolia’s Narantsetseg Ganbaatar at the Asian Games in Nagoya. The reigning Commonwealth Games champion had reached the bronze medal contest after winning her repechage bout against Hong Kong China’s Ka Lee Wong

Sunil Kumar defeated the Philippines’ Callum Johnston Roberts 9-0 by technical superiority to win bronze in the men’s 87kg Greco-Roman wrestling event at Asian Games 2026. He became the first Indian wrestler to win two Greco-Roman medals at the Games

India completed a clean sweep of the three compound archery team gold medals at the Asian Games, winning the women’s, mixed and men’s events. The victories included a world-record-equalling performance, a shoot-off thriller and a dramatic comeback

Sanju Samson has described India as “very, very fortunate” to have Virat Kohli, praising the former captain’s influence and performances. Samson also credited India’s strong domestic cricket structure and IPL for helping produce talent and maintain the team’s depth

India face Pakistan in the Asian Games 2026 men’s volleyball quarter-final on Thursday, with a semifinal berth at stake. India enter unbeaten but Pakistan have won their previous two Asian Games meetings, adding significance to the high-stakes contest

Ruturaj Gaikwad said moving from his familiar opening role to the middle order in international cricket brings different challenges, including strike rotation and tactical adjustments. He also admitted feeling nervous after a long gap between international appearances.