India names 30-member shooting squad for Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya

India will take a 30-member shooting squad to the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, with competition scheduled from September 17 to October 3 at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Range. Two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker heads the delegation alongside fellow Olympians Rudrankksh Patil and Esha Singh.

The squad is evenly divided between 15 men and 15 women and comprises 12 shotgun specialists and 18 rifle or pistol shooters. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) selected the team using qualification criteria set by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS). Because only 30 athletes could be entered across 36 events, four shooters — Manu Bhaker, Rudrankksh Patil, Esha Singh, and Vidarsa Vinod — will each contest more than one event. Indian shooters will be chasing the record from Hangzhou 2022, when the team returned with seven golds, nine silvers and six bronzes, a total haul of 22 medals.

The squad includes Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, an Asian Games medallist, and Suruchi Singh, a multiple ISSF World Cup gold medallist. Manu Bhaker is in the squad and is set to compete in the women’s 10m air pistol and 25m sport pistol events.

Notable absentees from the selection are Paris 2024 medallists Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale, who did not make the team. Sift Kaur Samra, the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions gold medallist at the last edition of the Games, was also left out, and reigning 10m air pistol world champion Samrat Rana missed selection.

Rifle and pistol entries named by the NRAI include: Men’s 10m air rifle — Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Patil; Women’s 10m air rifle — Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Vidarsa Vinod. Men’s 50m rifle 3 positions — Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar, Rudrankksh Patil; Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions — Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa K Vinod, Tilottama Sen.

Pistol event entries list Men’s 10m air pistol — Kedarling B Uchaganve, Gaurav, Kamaljeet; Women’s 10m air pistol — Suruchi Singh, Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker; Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol — Anish Bhanwala; Women’s 25m sport pistol — Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat. Mixed teams named are 10m air rifle — Parth Rakesh Mane and Elavenil Valarivan, and 10m air pistol — Kedarling B. Uchaganve and Suruchi Singh.

Shotgun line-ups are: Men’s trap — Kynan Chenai, Ahvar Rizvi, Shapath Bharadwaj; Women’s trap — Neeru, Manisha Keer, Aashima Ahlawat. Men’s skeet — Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Mairaj Ahmad Khan; Women’s skeet — Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan.

Broadcast arrangements in India will include online streaming on the SonyLIV app and website and television coverage on the Sony Sports Network channels. For additional updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.

The shooting competition runs from September 17 to October 3, staged at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Range.