Asian Games: With medals up for offer in several events India look to increase their tally

Hangzhou [China]: As the Asian Games continue, the Indian women’s hockey team will return to action, tennis and squash stars will be eyeing their nation’s first medal in the respective events and the athletics events will kick off as India eyes to add more medals to their tally on Friday.

India ended the day with a total of 25 medals, which included six gold, eight silver, and 11 bronze.

India will defend its title at the men’s doubles at the Asian Games against Chinese Taipei as Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni defeated South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon and Seongchan Hong to advance to the final at Hangzhou.

The second-seeded Indian pair defeated Soonwoo Kwon and Seongchan Hong 6-1, 7-6, 10-0 in the semifinal on Thursday.

While the Indian duo of Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale assured India at least a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event following their straight-set victory over Kazakhstan’s pair of Zhibek Kulambayeva and Grigoriy Lomakin and sealed their place in the semi-final.

The Indian men’s squash team will be keen to clinch a gold medal as they defeated Nepal 3-0 to reach the final. Their opponents as of now are yet to be decided.

In hockey, the Indian Women’s Hockey Team is set to take on Malaysia in their second Pool A match. In terms of head-to-head encounters, India enjoys a commanding record against Malaysia. Out of the 17 matches played between the two sides, India emerged victorious in 16, while only one match ended in a draw. Malaysia, despite their best efforts, are yet to taste victory against the Indian team.

The Indian team kicked off their campaign on a dominant note, delivering a thumping 13-0 performance against Singapore. Their impressive win showcased their formidable skills and determination, leaving no doubt about their aspirations in this tournament.

In terms of badminton, both men’s and women’s teams will be in action in the quarterfinal of the team event.

The Indian women’s team of PV Sindhu, Ashmita Chaliha, Anupama Upadhyaya, and Malvika Bansod have beaten Mongolia in the round of 16 match by 3-0.

In Match 1, Sindhu squared off against Myagmartseren Ganbaatar and defeated the Mongolian in two straight sets as the match lasted for 20 minutes.

In Match 2, Chaliha beaten Kherlen Darkhanbaatar by 2-0. In the first set, Chaliha won by 21-2, and in the next set, she won by 21-3.

Anupama also clinched a win in Match 3 against Khulangoo Baatar by 20. The Indian shuttler dominated in the first set and won by 21-0 while in the next set, she beat the Mongolian by 21-2.

They will be up against Thailand which will pose a challenge to them as they look to book a place in the semifinal.

On the other hand, the men’s team will play against Nepal with hopes of clinching a spot in the semifinal.

Finally, all eyes will be on athletics. Sandeep Kumar and Vikash Singh will participate in the Men’s 20km race walk final.

Priyanka Goswami will be participating the Women’s 20km race walk final. Kiran Baliyan and Manpreet Kaur will try to walk away with a medal in the Women’s shotput final.