Asian Games 2026: From Manu Bhaker to Mirabai Chanu – Here are the top Indian athletes to watch out for on day four

India's flag bearers Manu Bhaker and Pawan Kumar lead the Indian contingent into the stadium during the opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday, September 19, 2026. (Photo: IANS/Biplab Banerjee)

The Indian women’s cricket team clinched the nation’s first gold medal by crushing Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final. Batting first, India put up a massive total of 216/3, powered by Smriti Mandhana’s brilliant 79 and a quickfire unbeaten 49 from Richa Ghosh.

In response, the Indian bowlers completely dismantled the opposition, bowling out Sri Lanka for just 69 runs to successfully defend their title.

Following this historic win, attention turns to day four of the games on September 23, 2026, which features a packed schedule across multiple disciplines. Here’s the full schedule

Action kicks off bright and early at 5:30 AM IST with Jay Meena taking on the Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit in the men’s singles soft tennis quarterfinal, alongside the men’s team regu preliminary match in sepaktakraw against the Philippines.

On the water, rowers Balraj Panwar, Satnam Singh, and Salman Khan hit the course for their sculls heats starting at 5:40 AM IST, while canoe sprint and swimming heats get underway shortly after.

Shooting medal hopefuls Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, and Suruchi Inder Singh take aim in the women’s air pistol qualification at 6:15 AM IST, followed by men’s and women’s skeet qualification rounds alongside equestrian cross-country and table tennis mixed doubles.

TEAM INDIA’S BIG DAY AHEAD!

From Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh & Suruchi Inder Singh in the Air Pistol finals to Mirabai Chanu & Gyaneshwari Yadav in Weightlifting, Team India is ready for another action-packed day at #AsianGames2026!

🏸 Badminton | 🏑 Hockey | 🤼 Kabaddi | 🥊…

Fencing pools in the women’s foil and men’s sabre events run through the morning hours. Team sports heat up by mid-morning, featuring the women’s kabaddi preliminary against Iran at 8:30 AM IST and the men’s boxing round of 16.

Weightlifting superstar Mirabai Chanu fights for a medal in the women’s 49kg final at 10:00 AM IST, while the men’s hockey team and badminton squad face major tests later in the day.

The afternoon features squash matches, the men’s kabaddi preliminary against Bangladesh, and Gyaneshwari Yadav in the women’s 53kg weightlifting final. Proceedings wrap up in the evening with medal rounds in shooting, swimming, fencing, and Roshibina Devi’s wushu sanda semifinal clash against Indonesia at 2:30 PM IST.