17-year-old Palak Gulia won gold while 18-year-old Esha Singh clinched silver in the women's 10m air pistol event at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Friday. Gulia, in her debut at a major competition, led from the 12th shot onwards and finished with a games record score of 242.1. Singh held her nerve to edge out the bronze medalist and secure a second individual medal after her 25m pistol silver the previous day. Earlier, India also won the team silver medal in the event. The sensational one-two finish took India's shooting medal tally to 17, their best ever at Asian Games. Gulia and Singh hugged after a touching moment at the end.

India ranks 5th on the medals tally with 6 gold, 8 silver, and 11 bronze medals at the end of Day 5. Indian shooters Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Cheema, and Shiva Narwal clinched gold in the men's 10m air pistol team event, extending the gold rush for India on Thursday. Roshibina Devi added a silver in wushu, while Anush Agarwalla won a historic dressage bronze. The medal spree is likely to continue on Friday as the men's doubles tennis duo of Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni feature in the finals. Squash teams also eye finals while India's athletics contingent finally begins its Asian Games 2023 campaign. 

India enters the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 as the number one ranked ODI team, closely followed by arch-rivals Pakistan at number two. Since 1999, the World Cup has been won by the top two ranked teams, boosting India and Pakistan's prospects. Their high-voltage clash on October 14th will be their eighth World Cup meeting, with India having won all previous seven. Though Pakistan broke India's dominance at the 2021 T20 World Cup, India regained the upper hand in 2022. As the top two teams lock horns, India will look to sustain their World Cup record over Pakistan and clinch cricket's ultimate prize.

The Pakistan cricket team arrived in Hyderabad for their participation in the ODI World Cup. The team received a warm welcome, and Babar Azam, the captain, expressed his delight at the 'overwhelming' welcome on social media. Though visa-related issues have caused a slight delay, this marks Pakistan's first visit to India in nearly a decade, with many players unfamiliar with Indian conditions. Babar addressed the lack of familiarity, stating that they are not feeling excessive pressure and have researched the conditions. He also acknowledged the absence of home crowd support but expected social media love from fans.    

With fresh violence erupting in her home state of Manipur, India's Roshibina Naorem battled worries about her family's safety to win a silver medal in the women's 60kg wushu event at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Hailing from a village near riot-hit Imphal, Roshibina stayed focused despite concerns over the ethnic unrest gripping Manipur for months. She also overcame the disappointment of three teammates being denied visas by China. In the final, Roshibina lost 0-2 to defending champion Wu Xiaowei of China after trying to go on the offensive. This was her second Asian Games medal after the 2018 bronze. Roshibina emulated Sandhyarani Devi's 2010 silver to become India's second individual wushu Asiad medalist.

On Day 5 of the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, India had a remarkable performance. In the men's 10m air pistol team event, India's Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Singh Cheema, and Shiva Narwal staged an impressive comeback to secure the gold medal. Meanwhile, Naorem Roshibina Devi clinched a silver medal in women's 60kg wushu, but she faced defeat in the gold medal bout against China's Wu Xiaowei. In other events, India's mixed skeet team finished 7th, Sarabjot Singh placed 4th in the men's 10m air pistol final, and there were mixed results in table tennis and golf. Later, India had high-voltage hockey and Dressage individual freestyle events to look forward to.

Australia ended their losing run with a 66-run victory over India in the third ODI, despite India clinching the series 2-1. Batting first, Australia posted a massive 352/7, powered by impactful knocks from Marsh (96), Smith (74), Labuschagne (72) and Warner (56). Bumrah took 3/81 for India. In response, India were restricted to 286 in 49.4 overs. Rohit Sharma (81) and Virat Kohli (56) started strongly but India fizzled out against Glenn Maxwell's off-spin. With the consolation win, Australia avoided a sweep but India won the ODI series on the back of victories in the first two matches. Though Australia won the dead rubber, India prevailed 2-1 in the closely fought series.

  In the 3rd ODI of the India vs. Australia series, Australia posted a formidable total of 352/7 in 50 overs. Their innings was characterized by a strong start led by David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, who both scored half-centuries. However, Indian bowlers made a comeback in the middle and towards the end, with Jasprit Bumrah taking three crucial wickets. Rohit Sharma's captaincy played a role in managing the bowling attack. Australia was eyeing 400 at one point, but India's efforts restricted them to 352. India now faces a challenging target of 353, the highest ever at the Rajkot ground.

The Indian women's hockey team kicked off their Asian Games 2023 campaign with a dominant 13-0 victory over Singapore in Hangzhou. Multiple players contributed to India's win, with goals from Udita, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Deepika, Navneet, Deep Grace Ekka, Neha, Sangita Kumari, Salima Tete, Vandana Katariya, and Monika. The victory propelled India to the top of Pool A, and the top two teams from each pool will advance to the semi-finals. India's strong performance in this match showcased their determination to compete at the highest level in women's hockey at the Asian Games.

  The 3rd ODI between India and Australia is a significant encounter before the World Cup. With the return of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mitchell Starc, the match promises star power despite India's series win. Ravichandran Ashwin's performance takes center stage, as he aims to secure a World Cup spot. India has an opportunity for its first-ever ODI clean sweep against Australia. However, key players like Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, and Axar Patel are absent due to various reasons, including health and fitness.