India, Oct. 4 -- Across the previous three Asian Games of 2023, 2018 and 2014, India's most bankable sports to fill the most chunky pie and the most valuable golden cherry in the medals cake were the usual suspects: athletics and shooting.

In 2026? Archery.

Five gold, two silver and two bronze medals at Aichi-Nagoya might be the same quantity as 2023 Hangzhou. But the difference in quality stands out for a couple of reasons, not least the two quotas for India in compound (the only one on offer) and recurve for the 2028 LA Olympics.

First, even as shooting (3 gold in 2026, down from 7 in 2023) and athletics (1, down from 6) dropped in gold standard, archery kept up. Their five-star podium finishes were the best across sports, with shoot...