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Indias campaign at the Asian Games 2026 enters a crucial phase on Thursday, with a packed Day 12 schedule featuring several high-stakes contests and medal opportunities across hockey, archery, wrestling, shooting, squash, cricket and other disciplines.
The spotlight will be firmly on the India-Pakistan mens hockey semifinal, scheduled for 1:00 PM IST at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. The high-voltage clash will headline a busy day for the Indian contingent as both sides battle for a place in the gold medal match. The day will begin early, with Golf getting underway at 3:00 AM IST. Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar and Pranavi Sharath Urs will compete in Round 2 of the womens team and individual stroke play events at Kasugai Country Club. The mens team of Veer Ahlawat, Yuvraj Sandhu and Saptak Talwar will begin their Round 2 campaign from 7:10 AM IST. Archery will provide India with multiple medal opportunities. Taniparthi Chikitha will take on Indonesias Nurisa Dian Ashrifah in the compound womens individual quarterfinal at 5:30 AM IST. If she progresses, the semifinal, bronze medal and gold medal matches will follow through the morning. In the mens compound individual event, Thirumuru Ganesh Maniratnam will begin his campaign in the quarterfinals at 9:47 AM IST, with the subsequent medal rounds scheduled through the morning. Taekwondo will see Rupa Bayor compete in the womens individual Poomsae semifinal at 5:30 AM IST, with the gold medal contest scheduled for 12:00 PM IST. Wrestling will also be a major focus, with Indian grapplers taking to the mats at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Complex from 7:22 AM IST. Aman will compete in the mens Greco-Roman 77kg category, Sumit in 60kg, Nitesh in 97kg, while Mansi will represent India in the womens 62kg category. The later rounds and medal bouts are scheduled through the afternoon, with medal contests beginning from 2:30 PM IST. In tennis, Sumit Nagal will face Chinas Yibing Wu in the mens singles quarterfinal at 6:30 AM IST. Yuki Bhambri and Rutuja Bhosale will also feature in the mixed doubles quarterfinal. Indias squash teams will be in semifinal action as well. The womens team comprising Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna and Shameena Riaz will take on Hong Kong at 7:00 AM IST, while the mens team will face Malaysia at 1:00 PM IST. The Indian contingent will also be involved in track cycling and sailing throughout the day. Harshveer Singh Sekhon will compete in the mens omnium, while Keerthi Rangaswamy Chikka and Celestina will feature in the womens sprint rounds from 7:00 AM IST. In sailing, Vishnu Saravanan will compete in the mens ILCA 7, Nethra Kumanan in the womens ILCA 6, while Katya Coelho will take part in womens IQFOIL. Indian skiff entries will also be in action at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbour. Mens cricket will see India take on Sri Lanka in the second semifinal at 10:00 AM IST. India, the defending Asian Games champions, will be looking to secure a place in the gold medal match. Elsewhere, Indian athletes will compete across Sepaktakraw, shooting, rugby sevens, canoe slalom, judo and sports climbing. In Sepaktakraw, India will face Vietnam at 5:30 AM IST and Myanmar at 10:30 AM IST, while Anish will compete in Stage 2 of the mens 25m rapid fire pistol at 6:10 AM IST. The day will conclude with sports climbing, where Deepu Mallesh will compete in the mens speed event at 4:42 PM IST. With medal opportunities spread across multiple disciplines and the India-Pakistan hockey semifinal providing the marquee clash, Day 12 promises another significant day for the Indian contingent at the Asian Games 2026. (ANI)
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