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India elect to bat after Gill wins toss in Galle Test

Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bat first as India began their two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium.

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India elected to bat first after captain Shubman Gill won the toss in the opening Test against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium on Saturday.

India’s playing XI features Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Gill as captain, Devdutt Padikkal, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.

Sri Lanka fielded Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, captain Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha, wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando.

Gill’s fitness had been a concern after a finger injury during training in Colombo, but he was passed fit to captain the side.

Play commenced at 10:00 am IST, with India looking to capitalise on batting-friendly conditions early in the match.

The Test additionally marks the 50th match to be played at the Galle International Stadium.

Galle International Stadium, set beside the historic Galle Fort on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, is regarded as one of the most picturesque Test venues in world cricket and has traditionally offered assistance to spinners as matches progress.

India’s line-up for the Test includes Dhruv Jurel and Manav Suthar, both part of a young squad being built around Gill’s captaincy as India transitions its Test leadership.

Sri Lanka’s playing XI is led by Dhananjaya de Silva, with wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella and spinner Prabath Jayasuriya among the key figures named in the home side’s line-up.

Gill’s finger injury, sustained during a training session in Colombo before the tour’s warm-up match, had put his availability for the Test series in doubt, though he was cleared to lead the side after a gradual return to batting practice.

This is the two-match series opener, with the second and final Test to follow, as Sri Lanka and India resume Test cricket ties in what is a milestone 50th Test staged at the Galle International Stadium.

Photo by Price Zero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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India’s shooting medal tally boosted by Neeru Dhanda’s gold

Neeru Dhanda won gold in women’s trap shooting at the Asian Games 2026 on September 29 with an Asian record score of 28 out of 30, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold in any shotgun event.

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India’s shooting medal tally grew further after Neeru Dhanda’s gold in women’s trap.

Her score of 28 out of 30 set a new Asian record for the event.

It is the first Asian Games gold for an Indian woman in any shotgun event.

She had earlier helped India to a team silver in the same discipline.

India’s overall medal tally at the Games rose to 48.

She is the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in any shotgun event.

The win came hours after Dhanda had helped India win silver in the women’s trap team event.

Dhanda is 26 years old.

India’s medal tally at the Asian Games rose to 48 following her win, including five gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze medals.

The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

India’s shooting programme has produced multiple medals across rifle, pistol and shotgun events at these Games.

Trap shooting involves hitting clay targets launched from a single trap house at varying angles and speeds.

India has separately won medals across other sports at these Games, including cricket, hockey, squash and javelin.

Neeru Dhanda’s gold adds to a broader rise in India’s shotgun shooting results in recent years.

Trap shooting finals are typically contested among the top qualifiers from an earlier qualification round.

India’s shooting federation has invested in coaching and international exposure for shotgun athletes in recent years.

The Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery has hosted multiple shooting events during these Asian Games.

Team events in shotgun shooting combine the scores of three athletes from each country.

China has traditionally been one of the strongest nations in Asian shotgun shooting competitions.

Neeru Dhanda won gold in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games 2026 on September 29.

Trap shooting (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, public domain

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India guaranteed at least two boxing silvers at Asian Games

India’s Ankush Panghal and Parveen Hooda both reached Asian Games 2026 boxing gold-medal bouts on September 29, guaranteeing at least two silvers, while Narender Berwal settled for bronze in the men’s over-90kg category.

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India is guaranteed at least two silver medals in boxing at the Asian Games 2026.

Ankush Panghal and Parveen Hooda both reached their respective gold-medal bouts on September 29.

Panghal faces South Korea’s Kim Min-Seong, and Hooda faces Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin.

Narender Berwal separately secured bronze in the men’s over-90kg category.

India’s overall medal tally at the Games rose to 48.

Parveen Hooda beat China’s Li Shu 5-0 by unanimous decision to reach the women’s 65kg final.

She will face Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin in the gold-medal bout.

Both Panghal and Hooda are guaranteed at least a silver medal.

Narender Berwal won bronze in the men’s over-90kg category after losing his semifinal to Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay.

The boxing finals are scheduled for later in the Asian Games 2026 schedule.

India’s boxing programme has continued to develop new medal contenders across weight categories in recent years.

The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

India’s overall medal tally at the Games rose to 48 following the results on September 29, including five gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze.

Boxing at the Asian Games features both men’s and women’s categories across multiple weight divisions.

Amateur boxing bouts at the Asian Games are typically scored by a panel of ringside judges across three rounds.

India has produced a number of internationally competitive boxers across weight categories in the past decade.

South Korea and China have traditionally fielded strong boxing squads at the Asian Games.

Winning a silver medal guarantees each finalist a podium finish regardless of the gold-medal bout’s outcome.

India’s boxing federation has focused on expanding grassroots training programmes in recent years.

Ankush Panghal beat Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Erkinboev 4-1 to reach the men’s 80kg boxing final at the Asian Games 2026.

He will face South Korea’s Kim Min-Seong in the gold-medal bout.

Amateur boxing (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Asian Games javelin: Who are India’s main rivals?

India’s javelin throw challenge at the Asian Games 2026 rests on Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh in Neeraj Chopra’s absence, with India chasing a third straight gold in the event.

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India’s main rivals in the Asian Games 2026 javelin final are Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.

Rumesh Tharanga holds the best season mark among the 14 athletes entered.

India are represented by Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh, in Neeraj Chopra’s absence.

Rohit Yadav’s personal best this year is 87.68m, the second-best season mark.

India are chasing a third straight Asian Games javelin gold.

That mark is the second-best season throw among the 14 athletes entered in the event, behind only Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga.

Yash Vir Singh has also recorded his career-best mark this year, a personal best of 85.41m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.

Yash Vir Singh won bronze at the Commonwealth Games with that throw.

The main challengers to India’s gold include Rumesh Tharanga of Sri Lanka and Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan.

Rohit Yadav has said he cannot take Neeraj Chopra’s place but will try for an Asian Games medal in his own right.

The javelin throw final was one of the headline events on the Asian Games athletics schedule for September 28.

India’s javelin programme has grown significantly since Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, with a deeper pool of competitive throwers emerging.

The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

India has won medals across multiple sports at these Games, including cricket, hockey, shooting and squash.

The men’s javelin throw final typically features eight to twelve finalists after a qualification round.

India’s athletics contingent at these Games also includes competitors in sprints, middle-distance and field events.

India’s javelin throw challenge at the Asian Games 2026 is being led by Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh.

Neeraj Chopra will miss the Games after a ligament tear during training ended his 2026 season early.

Javelin throw (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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