India, Oct. 5 -- India's sporting ambitions took a sobering reality check at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where a campaign that promised another leap forward ended with a significant dip from the record-breaking haul in Hangzhou.

India retained fourth place in the overall standings but finished with 85 medals - 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze - 21 medals and seven gold fewer than the 106-medal haul, achieved in the last edition. For a country chasing top-10 status by 2036 and a top-five ranking by 2047, the numbers are a reminder that sustaining progress will be far harder than producing a spectacular Games.

At the top, China remained untouchable, finishing with 341 medals, including 169 gold. Japan was second with 83 gold and 269 med...