India slipped from second place to fifth in the women’s 25m pistol team event at the Asian Games 2026 on Monday, turning a promising start into another near-miss for the shooting contingent. Esha Singh, however, kept India’s individual medal hopes alive by qualifying for the final.India had started the day strongly and were just one point behind leaders China after the precision stage. But the rapid stage proved costly, with Rahi Sarnobat suffering a disastrous start as she missed the target in her opening series.India eventually finished with a combined score of 1727-56x, dropping to fifth in the team standings. China won gold with 1743-68x, followed by South Korea (1735-65x), Chinese Taipei (1734-48x) and Vietnam (1732-56x).Esha was India’s best performer, shooting 580-22x to finish eighth and take the final qualifying spot. Manu Bhaker finished 11th with 579-18x, while Sarnobat was 30th with 568-16x.Asian Games Full Coverage|Medal Tally|ScheduleThe result was another example of the fine margins that have defined India’s shooting campaign in Aichi-Nagoya. India have had both podium finishes and near-misses, with strong starts not always translating into medals.The disappointment will be sharper given India’s record in the same event at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou. Esha won the individual bronze in the 25m pistol, while she, Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan combined to win the team gold.Bhaker, meanwhile, had already made the women’s 10m air pistol final at these Games but finished fifth. India also finished fourth in the women’s 10m air pistol team event. The men’s 10m air pistol team finished fourth as well, with none of India’s three shooters making the individual final.There have been podium finishes too. Indian shooters have collected medals in the 10m air rifle events and in both the men’s and women’s skeet team competitions, underlining the contrasting fortunes of the contingent so far.For Esha, there is still a chance to change the narrative. She will now line up in the women’s 25m pistol individual final, with India looking to turn another near-miss in the team event into a medal opportunity.
