Yashaswini Ghorpade and Shrija Akula Lead India Past Thailand

Yashaswini Ghorpade and Shrija Akula were the decisive forces behind India’s 3‑2 victory over Thailand in the women’s table tennis event at the Asian Games 2026, held in Nagoya on 22 September. After falling behind 1‑2, Ghorpade won two straight matches, while Akula defeated Thailand’s Olympic veteran Suthasini Sawettabut 3‑1, posting scores of 9‑11, 11‑6, 12‑10 and 11‑8.

The win propels the Indian side into a quarter‑final clash with North Korea. India’s table tennis record at the Asian Games now features three bronze medals: the men’s team bronze from Jakarta 2018, a mixed‑doubles bronze by Sharat Kamal and Manika Batra, and a women’s doubles bronze earned by Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayesha Mukherjee in Hangzhou 2023.

Other Indian athletes made headlines as well. Karateka Chetan Bhat missed out on a medal after a 0‑1 loss to China’s Cheng Meng‑Yu in the bronze‑medal bout. The men’s 4×100 m relay quartet—Rohit Benedict, Danush Suresh, Rishabh Das, and Akash Mani—clocked 3:40.41, ranking seventh among sixteen nations and securing a place in the relay final. In soft tennis, Adhya Tiwari fell 4‑1 to Thailand’s Alisha Jigger and must beat Pakistan’s Kayanat Shalvani to stay in contention, while Jai Meena advanced by defeating Pakistan’s Husain Arain 4‑0. Sepaktakraw men’s team lost 0‑2 to Malaysia and will face the Philippines in their final group match.

The Indian contingent remains determined to add more medals as the Games continue.