India retained 8 gold medals, down from 28 in Hangzhou, while 20 titles changed hands. The drop signals a major reshuffle in the country’s Asian Games medal map.
Shooting saw the most dramatic re‑balance. Neeru Dhanda took the women's trap crown and teamed with Kynan Chenai for mixed trap gold, while Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh clinched mixed 10m air pistol. None of the seven Hangzhou golds were defended; the three new titles came in events India had never medalled in before.
Athletics, once a gold‑loading machine, delivered only one title: the women's 4x400m relay. Still, India kept 23 medals in other events, with silver and bronze counts fluctuating but overall 24 medals. Familiar faces like Murali Sreeshankar and Gulveer Singh kept their podium spots, though their positions shifted.
Archery kept the team spirit alive – all three compound team titles held firm – and added a new individual gold with Kumkum Mohod in recurve. The podium spread tightened: five golds, two silvers, two bronzes, but the events changed.
Boxing turned the tables in the opposite direction, earning three golds after a silver‑only Hangzhou outing. Wrestlers added two golds to their six‑medal haul, showcasing a balanced performance across weight classes.
Overall, 13 new routes to gold emerged, with athletes stepping up in fields that were previously medal‑free. The next hurdle is a tighter focus on nurturing these fresh champions for the upcoming Asian Games.