India’s men’s cricket and hockey teams will be in the spotlight on Day 12 of the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday, with both defending champions eyeing a place in the finals. An India-Pakistan volleyball quarterfinal will also feature among the day’s high-profile clashes.
Shreyas Iyer-led India will face Sri Lanka in the men’s cricket semifinal at 10 am IST, with a place in the final at stake. India will look to take another step towards defending the gold medal it won at the previous edition.
Later, Harmanpreet Singh and his teammates will face Pakistan in the men’s hockey semifinal at 1 pm IST. With the tournament also carrying significance for the race for an early qualification spot for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, India will seek a place in the final.
The India-Pakistan rivalry will also be renewed in men’s volleyball, with the two teams meeting in the quarterfinals at 6:30 am IST.
India’s medal prospects extend to several other disciplines on Thursday.
In shooting, the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event will conclude with the second stage of qualification beginning at 6:10 am IST. Anish Bhanwala, who is currently fifth after the opening stage, will be aiming to qualify for the final scheduled for noon.
In archery, Chikitha Taniparthi will face Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah in the women’s compound quarterfinal at 5:30 am IST, while Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru will take on Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chieh-lun in the men’s quarterfinal at 9:47 am IST. India has already swept the compound team gold medals.
The Indian squash teams will also be in contention for places in the finals. The women will face Hong Kong China in the semifinal at 7 am IST, while the men take on Malaysia at 1 pm IST. Both teams are assured of at least a bronze medal.
Wrestling will provide further medal opportunities, with Sumit Dalal (60kg), Aman (77kg), Nitesh Kumar (97kg) and Mansi Ahlawat (women’s 62kg) beginning their campaigns in Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling. Their respective medal bouts, if they progress, are scheduled from 2:30 pm IST.
In judo, Yamini Mourya (57kg) and Inunganbi Takhellambam (70kg) will begin their campaigns in the morning, with potential medal bouts scheduled from 1:30 pm IST.
On the cycling track, Harshveer Singh Sekhon will compete in the men’s omnium, with the points race serving as the medal event at 1:33 pm IST. Harshita Jakhar and Swasti Singh will contest the women’s madison final at 12:18 pm IST.
India will also compete in canoe slalom, sport climbing, taekwondo and sailing. The women’s rugby sevens team will open its campaign against Hong Kong China at 8:50 am IST before facing the People’s Republic of China at 3:30 pm IST.
In tennis, Sumit Nagal will face China’s Wu Yibing in the men’s singles quarterfinal at 6:30 am IST.
India enters Day 12 in eighth place in the medal standings with 60 medals, comprising 10 gold, 21 silver and 29 bronze, and will look to add to its tally on a packed day featuring several medal events and knockout contests.
(ANI Inputs)
