India have brought a large and diverse contingent to Aichi-Nagoya in Japan for the 2026 Asian Games. 503 athletes are representing the country across 36 sports in one of Asia’s biggest sporting events ever. The Games began on September 19 and will continue until October 4 while giving several young Indian competitors an opportunity to compete alongside some of the country’s most experienced international stars.
The Indian contingent includes teenagers and athletes who are only a few years into senior competition. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the youngest member of the contingent at 15 years of age while other young names have already won national and international titles before arriving in Japan.
Let’s see the 10 youngest Indian athletes among them currently competing to make the nation proud.
1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – Cricket (15 years old)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the youngest athlete in India’s Asian Games contingent. The teenage batter has already built considerable senior cricket experience despite his age and is part of India’s men’s T20 squad for the tournament.
Sooryavanshi’s rise has been unusually quick. He made his First-Class debut for Bihar at 12 and later became the youngest Indian to appear in T20 cricket. His progress also took him into the IPL and eventually the senior India setup before his 16th birthday.
2. Kamali Moorthy – Surfing (16 years old)
Kamali Moorthy is India’s second-youngest athlete at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, with the 16-year-old selected for the women’s shortboard surfing event. She is also part of an important first for Indian sport because surfing is making its Asian Games debut in 2026 and India are fielding their first-ever Asian Games surfing contingent.
3. Syndrela Das – Table Tennis (17 years old)
Syndrela Das entered the Asian Games at 17 after making a rapid rise through the Indian table tennis system. The Kolkata paddler recently celebrated her 17th birthday and secured both the Under-19 and senior women’s singles titles at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships in Kanpur.
4. Prithika Pradeep – Archery (17 years old)
Prithika Pradeep is another 17-year-old entering her first Asian Games. She represents India in women’s compound archery and has already won a senior World Cup medal before making her continental Games debut.
5. Tanvi Sharma – Badminton (17 years old)
Tanvi Sharma is another teenager who has rapidly moved into India’s senior badminton picture. The 17-year-old from Hoshiarpur has already won a BWF World Tour Super 300 title and became the youngest Taipei Open champion in the tournament’s history after defeating Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen in the 2026 final.
6. G Kamalini – Cricket (18 years old)
G Kamalini has already become familiar to Indian cricket followers despite being only 18. The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter entered the Asian Games setup as a teenage international and remains one of the youngest players in India’s women’s squad.
Kamalini was selected for India’s 2026 Asian Games women’s T20 squad after previously representing the country at Under-19 level. Her early career included a strong run at the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup before opportunities came in the Women’s Premier League.
7. Anushka Yadav – Hammer Throw (18 years old)
2008-born Anushka Yadav is 18 and one of the youngest athletes in India’s athletics team. She qualified for the Asian Games after producing a national-record performance of 67.02 metres in the women’s hammer throw in June 2026.
Yadav is part of a 77-member Indian athletics squad containing several established Asian and national record holders. Her inclusion gives the women’s hammer event a young representative who has already produced a record-breaking performance in the same season.
8. Anahat Singh – Squash (18 years old)
Anahat Singh has already competed at the Asian Games once, but she is still only 18. The Delhi squash player represented India at the previous Games in Hangzhou and has since made substantial progress on the senior circuit.
9. Shahnavaz Khan – Long Jump (18 years old)
Shahnavaz Khan is another 18-year-old included in India’s athletics contingent. The February 2, 2008-born player will represent India in the men’s long jump at Aichi-Nagoya.
10. Mohammed Ashfaq – Athletics (19 years old)
Mohammed Ashfaq is one of the youngest athletes in India’s men’s athletics squad. The June 2007-born athlete is 19 and has been selected for the men’s 4x400m relay at the Asian Games.
Ashfaq has made significant progress during 2026 in feats that include setting a national under-20 record of 45.81 seconds in the 400m in August. He is one of several promising talents set to represent India at this competition.
