All posts tagged: Asian Games

Rahane’s reaction to snub of Samson for Zimbabwe series: ‘Find it odd…’

Rahane’s reaction to snub of Samson for Zimbabwe series: ‘Find it odd…’

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 7, 2026 01:41 PM IST Veteran India batsman Ajinkya Rahane has reacted to Sanju Samson’s omission from India’s three-match T20I tour to Zimbabwe later this month, stating that he found it odd to see a ‘hero’ of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad not featuring in the squad for the series. Samson was excluded from the squad for the series starting on July 23, with Prabhsimran Singh included as the second wicketkeeper to back up Ishan Kishan. “Hope there has been some communication with Sanju Samson. Find it odd that the hero of our recent T20 WC win has been left out of the T20 squad to Zimbabwe. Hope to see him back in the team soon,” Rahane wrote on Instagram. Samson will miss the three-match series but is part of the Indian squad that will compete at the Asian Games in Japan in September. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had also reacted to Samson’s exclusion from the squad, saying that if the management does not show the required confidence in players, then …

BCCI announces India Women’s Cricket squad Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026

BCCI announces India Women’s Cricket squad Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-member Indian women’s cricket squad for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday. The multi-sporting event will follow the T20 format, with eight teams taking part in the event. Hosts, Japan, will be joined by India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and China. Harmanpreet Kaur will once again lead the Indian side, while Smriti Mandhana has been named vice-captain for the tournament. The experienced duo of Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana will also lead India’s batting unit. They will be joined by Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Bharti Fulmali, giving India a strong group of batters. Richa Ghosh and G. Kamalini have been selected as the wicketkeepers and will share wicketkeeping duties during the tournament. India have opted for a spin-heavy bowling unit for the Asian Games. The 15-member squad features three frontline spinners, two specialist pace bowlers and additional bowling options to provide depth to the attack. Radha Yadav will lead the spin department with her left-arm orthodox bowling. She will be …

‘Sooryavanshi ready for India debut, but will have to wait’: ten Doeschate

‘Sooryavanshi ready for India debut, but will have to wait’: ten Doeschate

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3 min readUpdated: Jun 29, 2026 10:44 AM IST Despite India’s stunning 0-2 debacle in the T20I series in Ireland, where the top-order crumbled twice in three days, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to bide his time on the bench before being marked for his debut, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Sunday. India suffered back-to-back losses to the Irish side in Belfast, their first series loss across 16 series and three years. On Sunday, India’s bid to draw the series level fell flat as they fell by one run in a middling 155-run chase. Compounding the woes of the new captain, Shreyas Iyer, was his own form in both games, as well as the indifferent run of openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. As Sooryavanshi warmed the bench, both Abhishek and Samson fell for golden ducks in the chase, a first instance for India where both openers fell for first-ball blobs. Sooryavanshi’s presence in the squad has captured all the buzz. He enjoyed a record-breaking IPL season at the top of the Rajasthan …

‘Exhausted’ Manika Batra accuses TTFI of breaching its own constitution in Asian Games selection rown

‘Exhausted’ Manika Batra accuses TTFI of breaching its own constitution in Asian Games selection rown

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3 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026 01:04 PM IST Table tennis star Manika Batra has said that the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) violated its own rules while selecting the Indian squad for the 2026 Asian Games but indicated that she won’t be pursuing the matter any more for now. Batra, who had won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games and is a triple gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games, was named only as a reserve for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and she had earlier asked for an explanation from the TTFI for her omission from the main squad. She said in a statement on Friday that she was told by the TTFI that a nine-member selection committee had selected the Indian squad for the Asiad. “TTFI, in its response to me, has stated that the entire selection process was conducted strictly in accordance with the rules. However, the documents available with me show that a 9-member Selection Committee decided the Asian Games team, while Article 24(C)(j) of the TTFI Constitution states that no …

Jyothi Yarraji seals Asian Games spot

Jyothi Yarraji seals Asian Games spot

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In the women’s 100m hurdles final at the Inter State National Championships, Jyothi Yarraji stared at the big screen after the race. Once it flashed 12.99s in front of her name, she fell on the track, virtually hugging it and feeling it. The celebration showed how much it had meant to return to the track after a year-long layoff due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. She breezed through the hurdles to breach the Asian Games qualification mark and go under 13s in the final to claim the national title. Last year, Jyothi was bound for the World Championships, but a freak injury during training, where she hit a hurdle, kept her away from the track. “I felt so good today. Interestingly, exactly one year back, I got injured and today I am here clocking sub 13s, it means a lot for me,” Jyothi told the reporters after her race. “I was expecting a better race. Something around 12.6s, but that’s okay. I have been praying every day since I got injured on this …

After Manika Batra, equestrian Anush Agarwalla questions exclusion from Asian Games squad

After Manika Batra, equestrian Anush Agarwalla questions exclusion from Asian Games squad

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A day after Manika Batra raised questions about her exclusion from the Indian table tennis team for the upcoming 2026 Asian Games, equestrian Anush Agarwalla followed the suit on Friday. Agarwalla, who had clinched an individual dressage bronze and a historic team dressage gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years back, was named among the reserves much like Batra as the Equestrian Federation of India announced the Indian contingent. “Today, I stand as India’s No. 1 ranked dressage rider, Asia’s No. 2 ranked rider, and World No. 14 in the FEI 1* Rankings. I have also achieved the highest PSG scores among all Indian athletes this year. That is why being named a reserve for the upcoming Asian Games comes as a surprise and raises important questions about the criteria being applied in athlete selection,” Agarwalla wrote in a social media post. The 26-year-old from Kolkata urged for transparency in the selection process. “While I respect the selection process and the athletes chosen to represent India, I believe every athlete deserves clarity on how …

Aditi Hegde, Vinayak Vijay set new national records

Aditi Hegde, Vinayak Vijay set new national records

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The 79th National Swimming Championships kicked off on a high note at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad on Monday, with multiple records being rewritten on the opening day of competition. The six-day event, running from June 16 to June 21, holds added significance as it serves as a key selection tournament for India’s squads for the upcoming Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. In the men’s 200m individual medley, Vinayak Vijay claimed the gold medal with a time of 2:04.13s. and created the new ‘Best Indian Time’ and national record. #News | Vinayak Vijay clocks Best Indian Time in Men’s 200m Individual Medley He clocked 2:04.13s in the final to topple the previous record holder Shoan Ganguly (2:05.32s) and bag the gold medal at the Nationals. Shoan’s previous record was set at 2:04.34s in 2025.#Swimming pic.twitter.com/Rozy7RRF2w — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) June 16, 2026 Another record-breaking performance came in the women’s 1500m freestyle event. Aditi Hegde clocked 17:20.82s to win the gold medal and set a new ‘Best Indian Time’. She improved the 11-year-old record …

A champion, coach and architect of Indian Shooting

A champion, coach and architect of Indian Shooting

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Indian shooting lost one of its greatest names as Jaspal Rana passed away at the age of 49 on Friday, June 12, in New Delhi. Jaspal Rana’s contribution to Indian shooting extended far beyond his achievements as an athlete. He was not only one of India’s most decorated shooters but also a highly respected coach who helped shape the careers of some of the country’s biggest stars, including Manu Bhaker, who won two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics under his guidance. Born on June 28, 1976, in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, Rana spent much of his childhood in Mussoorie. His introduction to shooting came through his father, a former Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) official, who was also his first coach. At the age of 10, Rana was introduced to pistols and rifles and began learning the sport. Although he initially trained with both weapons, he eventually chose pistol shooting. His rise was swift. Just two years after taking up the sport, he made his national debut at the National Shooting Championship in Ahmedabad in 1988 …

Manu Bhaker spearheads Indian shooting squad for Asian Games | Sports News

Manu Bhaker spearheads Indian shooting squad for Asian Games | Sports News

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Despite finishing seventh in the 10m air pistol women’s shooting trials, Manu Bhaker has made it to the Asian Games squad for the event along with 25m Sports Pistol event. Similarly, Esha Singh has also made it to the squad in both events, Vidarsa K Vinod and Rudrankksh Patil has also made it to the 10m air rifle and 50m three positions team. The decision to take two event specialists came after the organizers capped the maximum number of participants at 30 (15 men and 15 women) for each country. Since, shotgun shooters can’t participate in two events, NRAI decided to prefer two event specialists in rifle and pistol. While Manu didn’t have a good show in the 10m trials, she is the Olympic bronze medallist in the 10m event while Rudrannksh, who primarily shoots in 10m event, has been producing good results in the 50m 3P since last year. Speaking of the squad selected for the Asian Games. NRAI President Kalikesh Singh Deo said, “Selecting this team was a challenging task given the exceptional …

NRAI announces Indian shooting squad for the 2026 Asian Games

NRAI announces Indian shooting squad for the 2026 Asian Games

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National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), on Thursday, announced the 18-member Indian Rifle and Pistol contingent for the shooting programme of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. They combined with the 12-member Indian shotgun squad will form a strong Indian shooting team that will be fighting for medals across 28 events in Japan. After a gruelling 5-day final selection trials in Dehradun earlier this week, the Indian team has witnessed some surprising entries and big exits. One of the major decisions is that India will send only one athlete in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event due to the limited quota of 30 athletes. Due to the quota restriction, India has also selected several shooters with lower national rankings who are capable of competing in two events. Two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker is one of the shooters selected for two events, the women’s 25m pistol and the women’s 10m air pistol. Meanwhile, the other two Paris Olympic medalists, Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale, missed out on the team after finishing 9th and 29th, respectively, in the …