All posts tagged: Asian Games 2026

No transition in sight as India back T20 World Cup core

No transition in sight as India back T20 World Cup core

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The first squad announcement after a disappointing ICC tournament usually offers clues about where a team is headed. Sometimes it marks the beginning of a rebuild. Sometimes it rewards domestic performers. Sometimes it signals that the next cycle has begun. India’s squad for the Asian Games in Japan does none of that. Barely two days after crashing out in the group stage of the Women’s T20 World Cup, the selectors have retained virtually the entire squad. The only change sees wicketkeeper G. Kamalini replace Yastika Bhatia, while Harmanpreet Kaur remains captain and Smriti Mandhana vice-captain. The message is clear: despite another underwhelming ICC campaign, the management continues to back the same core. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Successful teams do not rip up their plans after every setback. Australia, for instance, have often resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes after a poor tournament because they trust proven players to respond. The difference is that Australia’s core has consistently repaid that faith. India have repeatedly flattered to deceive on the biggest stage. ALSO …

The making of India’s fastest 800m runner Mohammed Afsal

The making of India’s fastest 800m runner Mohammed Afsal

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There was a time when Mohammed Afsal’s day began long before sunrise. At 3 am, while most of Kerala was still asleep, a Class 10 student from Palakkad would quietly leave home and wait for newspaper distribution vehicles passing through his village. After travelling nearly 22 kilometres, he would reach the training ground well before practice began. “I used to sleep there for a while before training started,” Afsal tells The Bridge, smiling at the memory. More than a decade later, that teenager has become India’s fastest-ever men’s 800m runner. An Asian Games silver medallist, the 800m national record holder with a timing of 1:44.93, Afsal’s rise has been built on resilience as much as talent. Ironically, athletics was never the dream. Football was always the first love Before he discovered the track, Afsal’s world revolved around football. “I actually started out playing football. I wasn’t a great player or anything,” he says. “My father and I used to go to a nearby college ground every morning. People from the neighbourhood would come there too, …

Inter-state Athletics C’ships Day-1 Live: Jyothi Yarraji returns to action

Inter-state Athletics C’ships Day-1 Live: Jyothi Yarraji returns to action

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Inter-State Athletics C’ships Live: Elite Indian athletes will begin their quest for the 2026 Asian Games quotas on the first day of the Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. National record holder Jyothi Yarrajit, returning from a long injury break, will be the star attraction of the day as she starts her 2026 season today. On the other hand, the joint national record holders, Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar, will be fighting for the Asian Games quota in the men’s pole vault. Catch all the live updates here: Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: Source link

Manika Batra questions her exclusion from Asian Games 2026 Table Tennis squad

Manika Batra questions her exclusion from Asian Games 2026 Table Tennis squad

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4 min readJun 19, 2026 07:40 AM IST Ace Indian paddler Manika Batra has raised concerns about the selection of the Table Tennis squad for the Asian Games on Thursday. Manika was excluded from the squad and was named in reserves alongwith Swastika Ghosh. She was excluded due to her absence from domestic events because of which she does not feature in the Table Tennis Federation of India rankings. “My exclusion from the Asian Games 2026 squad is deeply disheartening, not only because of the outcome, but because of the manner in which the selection criteria appear to have been interpreted and applied. No specific reason has been communicated to me,” Manika said in a statement. Earlier in the day, the TTFI said it selects players based on international and national rankings. “The selection process ensured that India’s highest-ranked and most consistent performers earned the opportunity to represent the country at Asia’s biggest multi-sport event,” said TTFI. As per the selection policy drafted in 2023, 50 percent weightage is given to national rankings, 40 percent …

“Exclusion from the Asian Games 2026 squad is disheartening”: Manika Batra

“Exclusion from the Asian Games 2026 squad is disheartening”: Manika Batra

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India’s leading table tennis player Manika Batra has questioned the process behind her exclusion from the main squad for the 2026 Asian Games, calling for greater transparency and consistency in the application of selection criteria. The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) on Thursday named Manika among the reserve players for the continental showpiece despite her being India’s second-highest ranked women’s singles player in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings. In a detailed statement issued after the squad announcement, Manika expressed disappointment over both the decision and the manner in which it was reached. “My exclusion from the Asian Games 2026 squad is deeply disheartening, not only because of the outcome, but because of the manner in which the selection criteria appear to have been interpreted and applied. No specific reason has been communicated to me,” she said. The former Commonwealth Games champion also appealed to the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association to review the matter. “I respectfully request the Hon’ble Sports Minister and the leadership of the Indian Olympic Association …

Manika Batra left out of India’s Asian Games Table Tennis main squad, Ayhika Mukherjee misses out

Manika Batra left out of India’s Asian Games Table Tennis main squad, Ayhika Mukherjee misses out

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India’s most decorated women’s table tennis player, Manika Batra, has been left out of the main squad for the 2026 Asian Games after failing to satisfy the selection criteria laid down by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The 30-year-old, who won a historic mixed doubles bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games and has multiple Commonwealth Games medals to her name, was named among the reserve players for the continental event scheduled in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. According to TTFI, selections were made based on a policy introduced in 2023, which allocates 50 per cent weightage to national rankings, 40 per cent to world rankings and the remaining 10 per cent to the discretion of the selection committee. Despite being India’s second-highest ranked women’s player at World No. 51, behind Sreeja Akula at No. 45, Manika’s absence from domestic tournaments meant she did not feature prominently in the national rankings, affecting her overall selection score. Sreeja Akula to lead Women’s Squad Sreeja Akula headlines the women’s squad, which also …

Srihari Nataraj qualifies for the Commonwealth & Asian Games in 50m backstroke

Srihari Nataraj qualifies for the Commonwealth & Asian Games in 50m backstroke

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Srihari Nataraj qualified for the 2026 Commonwealth & Asian Games in the 50m backstroke event with a solid run in the heats of the National Championships in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. He clocked a time of 25.21s to top the heats and comfortably breached the qualification mark of 25.34s for CWG and 25.39s for the Asian Games. He is the second Indian after Sajan Prakash (200m Butterfly) to achieve the Individual qualification mark for both the coming multisport events. He, however, marginally missed out on his personal best of 25.18s from 2021 but will be trying to breach that in the finals later in the day. Meanwhile, the youngster Dhinidhi Desinghu also started her individual campaign, clocking a good time of 2:03.72s to top the women’s 200m freestyle heats. In the finals, she will be aiming to set a new national record, breaking her own record of 2:02.84s. The Asian Games qualification mark in this event is set at 2:00.76s. More to follow… Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text …

Fouaad Mirza, Hriday Chheda head India’s Equestrian squad for Asian Games 2026

Fouaad Mirza, Hriday Chheda head India’s Equestrian squad for Asian Games 2026

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The Equestrian Federation of India’s ad-hoc committee has announced the country’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games, with Olympian Fouaad Mirza and dressage specialist Hriday Chheda among the prominent names selected for the continental event in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4, with India set to compete across the three equestrian disciplines of dressage, three-day eventing and show jumping. Fouaad Mirza, a two-time Asian Games silver medallist and India’s representative at the Tokyo Olympics, has been selected in the three-day eventing squad alongside Ashish Limaye, Ahaan Kumar and Arjan Nagra. In dressage, Hriday Chheda, who was part of India’s historic team gold-winning performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games, has secured a place in the four-member squad. Notably, Anush Agarwalla, who won team gold and individual bronze at the 2023 Asian Games, has been named among the reserves. The selections were made following recommendations from the respective selection committees after evaluating performances of horse-rider combinations under the federation’s selection criteria. Full India Equestrian Squad for Asian Games 2026 …

Boxer Meenakshi Hooda on her move to 51kg

Boxer Meenakshi Hooda on her move to 51kg

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Meenakshi Hooda was only 12 when she stepped into a boxing ring for the first time. Over the years, she has steadily turned her dreams into reality, climbing the ranks to become a world champion and recently extended her reign as World No. 1 in the 48kg category. But the World Championship title she won last year remains the defining moment of her journey that once began in a small village boxing centre. “Becoming a world champion is everyone’s dream, and it was my dream too. And when I did become one and stood on the podium, the Indian flag was at the top. That was the proudest moment of my life,” Meenakshi told The Bridge. The world champion has trained under Vijay Hooda for the last 12 years, believes coaches are the ones who understand athletes better than their own families. “My family doesn’t know much about boxing. So sometimes my parents and family only see that I didn’t win a medal. But my coach knows how much I have trained. He knows how …

All India Tennis Association names squad for 2026 Asian Games

All India Tennis Association names squad for 2026 Asian Games

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The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has announced India’s tennis squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with one notable omission drawing attention. Former national champion Srivalli Rashmikaa has not been included in either the main squad or the reserve list for the continental event. AITA’s selection committee unveiled a 12-member contingent comprising six men and six women, along with reserve players for both categories. The team features a mix of experienced campaigners and emerging talent selected on the basis of recent performances and rankings. The men’s squad will be led by Sumit Nagal and includes Manas Dhamne, Dhakshineshwar Suresh, Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji and Anirudh Chandrasekar. The reserve list features Karan Singh, Rithvik Bollipalli and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha. In the women’s section, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaishnavi Adkar, Vaidehee Chaudhari, Rutuja Bhosale, Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare have secured places in the final squad. Zeel Desai and Shruti Ahlawat have been named as reserves. The absence of Srivalli Rashmikaa is among the biggest talking points from the squad announcement. The Indian player, who has …