Asian Games 2026: Indian debutants to watch out for at Aichi-Nagoya

(L-R) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Suruchi Singh and Priya Ghanghas are among the top debutants who will feature at the 2026 Asian Games. | Photo Credit: Agencies

The 20th edition of the Asian Games will officially begin on September 19, 2026 at Aichi and Nagoya in Japan.

India will field a 503-strong contingent at the continental competition and will look to better its best-ever haul of 70 medals from the previous edition in Hangzhou, China in 2023.

Among the participants will be a few tournament debutants, eager to make an impression in their maiden campaign and mount a strong challenge for a medal.

Sujeet Kalkal

The 24-year-old Sujeet Kalkal is currently World No. 2 in the 65kg category. | Photo Credit: RV MOORTHY

Sujeet Kalkal arrives in Nagoya as one of India’s strongest gold-medal hopes. He has already established his class in Asia, beating world bronze medallist Umidjon Jalolov 8-1 in the final to win the 2026 Asian Championships.

The 24-year-old, currently ranked World No. 2 in the 65kg category, will see his chances boosted by the fact that World No. 1 Rahman Amouzad of Iran has opted to skip the Asian Games to focus on defending his world title. Despite Amouzad’s absence, the Asian Games field is formidable. While Jalolov is a familiar threat whom Sujeet has had little trouble with in the past, there are plenty of potential obstacles. Three-time world medallist Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan is always tricky, while Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadeh has been building steadily this season.

Perhaps Sujeet’s greatest challenge will come from Japan’s Kotaro Kiyooka. The reigning Olympic champion and 2025 world silver medallist will fancy his chances of being crowned champion on home ground.

Pooja Singh

If Pooja clears 1.88m cleanly and approaches her NR, India has a credible route to Asian Games gold. | Photo Credit: RV MOORTHY

Pooja Singh demands serious gold consideration. The 19-year-old talent became the senior Asian champion with 1.89m in 2025, took Asian Indoor silver at 1.87m in February and raised the Indian record to 1.93m while winning the Asian Under-20 title in May.

That record gives her the highest current clearance among the confirmed Chinese and Japanese entrants. China has selected Lu Jiawen and Jin Ruoxuan, while Japan will field Nagisa Takahashi and Yuzuki Ishioka.

The established opposition includes defending Asian Games champion Safina Sadullayeva and current Asian record-holder Nadezhda Dubovitskaya. Singh’s concern is recent international consistency: she won the National Inter-State title at 1.83m, finished eighth at the Commonwealth Games with 1.77m and placed seventh at the World Under-20 Championships.

Her ceiling is nevertheless championship-winning. If she clears 1.88m cleanly and approaches her record, India has a credible route to Asian Games gold.

Priya Ghanghas

Priya Ghanghas arrives in Japan hungry to win the biggest medal of her career so far. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Priya Ghanghas has gone from a promising prospect to genuine gold-medal contender with astonishing speed. The 20-year-old from Bhiwani announced herself at the Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar at the start of the year, winning the 60kg title in her first major elite international tournament. She defeated China’s former world champion Yang Chengyu in the quarterfinal before beating North Korea’s Won Un-gyong 3-0 for gold.

What makes Ghanghas particularly intriguing is her aggressive style. She likes to fight at close range and packs considerable power into her punches, drawing inspiration from the confidence and attacking mentality of boxers from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. But she is also capable of maintaining her composure when she is trailing. After losing the opening round against Yang, she stayed composed rather than rushing, allowing her to turn the fight around. She demonstrated this quality once again at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, losing the first round of her final against Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh before recovering to win gold.

The Asian Games will represent a significant step up. China, Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei can provide opponents with Olympic and world-level experience. But Ghanghas has already beaten one former world champion this year and arrives in Japan hungry to win the biggest medal of her career so far.

Suruchi Singh

At just 20, Suruchi combines remarkable consistency with an increasingly proven ability to win, making her one of India’s clearest individual gold prospects in Aichi-Nagoya. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Suruchi’s strongest quality is her ability to deliver in major finals. She won the 2026 ISSF World Cup gold in Munich with a score of 242.1, beating compatriot Esha Singh by 0.9 points in an Indian one-two.

The victory added another chapter to a remarkable trajectory. Suruchi dominated the 2025 World Cup circuit with a hat-trick of individual 10m air pistol gold medals in Munich, Lima and Buenos Aires before capping the season with World Cup Final gold and a junior world record in Doha.

The former World No. 1 has repeatedly shown that she can produce big scores when a medal is at stake. At just 20, she combines remarkable consistency with an increasingly proven ability to win, making her one of India’s clearest individual gold prospects in Aichi-Nagoya.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be a fan favourite at the Asian Games cricket competition. | Photo Credit: AP

The latest blue-eyed boy in Indian cricket, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, will be participating in his first tournament with the senior men’s team.

After two blockbuster Indian Premier League seasons and performing exceedingly well at junior level, Sooryavanshi broke the door down for T20I selection and made his debut during the series away in England.

He is just six innings into his international career but has already recorded two half-centuries at the top of the order. His strike rate in all T20s is currently a mind-numbing 216.32 after 40 innings.

His IPL numbers are equally staggering. The 15-year-old has scored 1028 runs in 23 matches at 44.69 and a strike rate of 228.95 against some of the best bowlers in world cricket.

The young opener has become a fan-favourite for Indian cricket supporters and will be one of the most followed athletes at the Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Published on Sep 19, 2026

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