Double delight places India on right track in Asiad quest

India's wait for a first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games lasted just a day as its shooters fired a world record score in the men's 10m air rifle team event before the Harmanpreet Kaur-led women's cricket team won a thrilling final to get the contingent off the blocks in its hunt for a record haul.

In between, India's rowers and shooters combined to win four bronze medals. India ended the day with an overall medal count of 11 (two gold, three silver, six bronze) to be placed sixth on the table. The country has set its sights on bettering its haul of 70 in medals Indonesia five years ago.

The highlight of the day was the shooting gold, albeit in a non-Olympic event, as the talented trio of World Championships gold medallist Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and Tokyo Olympians Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Divyansh Singh Panwar combined to score 1893.7 points at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre.

The three, with an average age of 21 years and 1 month, obliterated the previous world (1893.3), Asian (1887.4) and Asian Games (1886.4) records. All three marks were held by Chinese shooters, and to beat them in their backyard was no mean feat.

"It is a great achievement and it feels surreal to beat the Chinese in their home," said Tomar, who shot an individual bronze in 10m air rifle a couple of hours later.

"All three boys have distinct approaches to shooting but the end goal is the same, to finish on the podium," said national rifle coach Suma Shirur.