India wrapped up the 2026 Commonwealth Games in fourth place with a tally of 39 medals—13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze—cementing its position among the competition's leading nations despite competing in a significantly scaled-down edition of the event.

Only Australia, England and Canada finished ahead of India in the standings. Hosts Scotland also secured 39 medals but were placed below India because of an inferior silver-medal count. While the result appears impressive on paper, the overall tally does not fully reflect the country's medal potential.

One of the biggest factors behind India's comparatively lower medal count was the exclusion of several sports that have historically contributed heavily to its success at the Commonwealth Games. Disciplines such as shooting, wrestling, badminton and table tennis did not feature in Glasgow's condensed schedule, drastically reducing India's opportunities to add to its tally.

These four sports alone have traditionally accounted for a substantial share of India's medals. Shooting delivered 27 medals at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, while wrestling contributed 12 medals in Birmingham in 2022. Badminton and table tennis also played crucial roles, adding six and seven medals, respectively, during the previous edition.

Combined, those disciplines produced 52 medals for India in their last Commonwealth appearance.

Although it would be inaccurate to assume that India would have replicated those numbers in Glasgow, given changing competition levels and athlete performances, the absence of these events undoubtedly limited the country's medal prospects.

Even without its traditional powerhouses, India managed one of its most diverse Commonwealth campaigns. Boxing emerged as the standout discipline, contributing 10 medals, including seven golds. Athletics also enjoyed a memorable outing, while weightlifting, judo and para events strengthened India's challenge near the top of the table.

The campaign demonstrated that India's sporting success is no longer dependent on a handful of disciplines. Athletes excelled across multiple events, reflecting the growth of the country's sporting infrastructure and talent pool.

Still, questions remain about how different the medal standings might have looked had the Commonwealth Games featured a full sporting programme.

If India's strongest disciplines had been included and produced results similar to previous editions, the country could conceivably have crossed the 70-medal mark and mounted a serious challenge to Canada for third place.

Instead, India leaves Glasgow with an impressive fourth-place finish but also with the sense that its complete sporting potential was never fully showcased.

Attention will now shift to the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, where the sporting programme is expected to be far more familiar. If sports like shooting, wrestling, badminton and table tennis return, India's Glasgow performance may eventually be remembered as only a partial reflection of its true strength on the Commonwealth stage.