Gold medals in women’s and men’s team events can redefine Indian sport

By K.R. Nayar 

I have written about cricket for decades, and also reported on hockey in the UAE and in India. So, when the women’s and men’s teams won gold medals in cricket and hockey, it feels like an occasion to celebrate. If, as a writer, one feels so elated, the feeling among sports lovers in India must be beyond words. 

Men's and women's gold medalists in cricket 

This feat makes one wonder whether it is the beginning of a glorious future for sports in India. India finished with 85 medals, including 21 gold medals, but the simultaneous triumphs of the women’s and men’s teams in team sports such as cricket, hockey and kabaddi convey another message — if men and women strive together, they can conquer glory. By winning gold medals, both men and women have showcased India’s growing sporting strength. This can change the way sportsmen and sportswomen look at themselves.

Women's hockey gold medalists

The women’s hockey team defeated China 1-0 to win gold — India’s first women’s hockey gold at the Asian Games since 1982. The men then retained their crown with a commanding 5-1 victory over Malaysia, becoming the first Indian men’s hockey team to successfully defend its Asian Games title.

Men's hockey gold medalists 

In cricket, the men, led by Shreyas Iyer, completed the golden double by beating Pakistan in the final. It was India’s second successive Asian Games gold in the men’s competition. The women’s team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final. They too successfully defended the gold medal they first won at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

In Kabaddi, both men and women won gold beating Iran in both the finals. India’s dominance in Kabaddi is not new as they  won both the men's and women's kabaddi gold medals in the Asian Games editions in 2010 (Guangzhou) and 2014 (Incheon).

These triumphs announced that Indian sport belongs equally to women and men. This also brings an end to sports conversations that revolved around the achievements of men alone. Women were talked about only as future champions, rising stars or potential medal winners. That will now undergo a huge change.

A gold medal does not care whether it was won by a woman or a man, but the sports lovers of that nation will remember it forever. The ball that was hit for goals or boundaries does not care whether it was hit by a man or a woman, but it will know that it was their skill that made them do it.

The gold-medal-winning performances do matter to millions of Indian girls watching from small towns, villages and city playgrounds. A girl picking up a hockey stick today can aim to become an Asian champion. What the men’s and women’s cricket, hockey, and kabaddi teams have done at the Asian Games is not merely win gold medals, but expand the dreams and imaginations of those watching them.

It is from such feats that champions emerge, careers are built and sporting revolutions begin. This win also carries the message that Indian sport is no longer dependent on a handful of individual stars. The competitive muscle runs across disciplines and across genders, too. It was when Sunil Gavaskar broke world records that Indians started believing they too could break records. When Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup, it gave way to the belief that Indians could become world champions in cricket. Similarly, a gold medal does not just shine momentarily; it shines for generations.

The gold-medal win has already set the next challenge- to convert Asian dominance into Olympic excellence. With cricket also becoming part of Los Angeles 2028, it will pave the way for greater hard work and preparation. The question ahead should be: how many more gold medals can India win through team sports?

The psychological impact of this Asian Games feat is that men and women can now walk onto the field not merely to compete, but to conquer. The question of whether India can become a sporting superpower must be read as how soon it can attain that status. The echoes of these gold medals will motivate everyone and help shape a bright future for sports in India.