The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced a 30-member Indian shooting contingent for the upcoming Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
Olympic medallist pistol shooter Manu Bhaker will compete in two events while Anish Bhanwala will be the lone Indian representative in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event.
Despite finishing seventh in the latest selection trials conducted by NRAI, Manu was included in the 10m air pistol event because of her proven record of performing under pressure on the biggest stages.
The double Olympic medallist had already secured her place in the 25m pistol event after finishing second in the trials.
However, the other two Olympic medallists, Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh, who won a mixed team bronze alongside Manu at the Paris Olympics, failed to make the final squad. The team was selected after an extensive evaluation process based on performances in domestic trials and international competitions.
One of the biggest surprises was the omission of reigning air pistol world champion Samrat Rana. He has struggled for consistency this season and was ranked eighth after the fourth selection trial held in Dehradun last week.
Interestingly, the three shooters selected ahead of him, Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve, Gaurav and Kamaljeet, have not competed in international events this season. Their impressive performances in the domestic trials helped them finish above established names such as Samrat, Sarabjot and World Championship medallist Varun Tomar.
The selected air pistol shooters will get their first international exposure of the season at the ISSF World Cup in China from July 20 to 29.
Overall, India will be represented by four shooters across two disciplines. Manu and World Championship bronze medallist Esha Singh will compete in the pistol events, while Vidarsa K Vinod and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil will feature in the rifle events.
NRAI said that with only 30 spots available in the squad, the selection committee carried out a detailed assessment to ensure India fields its strongest possible team across all disciplines.
“Selecting this team was a challenging task given the exceptional depth and quality of talent in Indian shooting,” said NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo.
India will also be without the guidance of Jaspal Rana at the Asian Games. The high-performance coach for India’s pistol shooters passed away in Delhi on Thursday night at the age of 49.
Indian shooting contingent for Asian games 2026:
Rifle & Pistol Squad
10M Air Rifle Men
Parth Rakesh Mane
Himanshu Dhillon
Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil
10M Air Rifle Women
Elavenil Valarivan
Sonam Uttam Maskar
Vidarsa K Vinod
50M Rifle 3 Positions Men
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar
Niraj Kumar
Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil
50M Rifle 3 Positions Women
Ashi Chouksey
Vidarsa K Vinod
Tilottama Sen
10M Air Pistol Men
Kedarling B. Uchaganve
Gaurav
Kamaljeet
10M Air Pistol Women
Suruchi
Esha Singh
Manu Bhaker
25M Rapid Fire Pistol Men
Anish
25M Sports Pistol Women
Esha Singh
Manu Bhaker
Rahi Sarnobat
10M Air Rifle Mixed Team
Parth Rakesh Mane
Elavenil Valarivan
10M Air Pistol Mixed Team
Kedarling B. Uchaganve
Suruchi
Shotgun Squad
Trap Men
Kynan Chenai
Ahvar Rizvi
Shapath Bharadwaj
Trap Women
Neeru
Manisha Keer
Aashima Ahlawat
Skeet Men
Anantjeet Singh Naruka
Bhavtegh Singh Gill
Mairaj Ahmad Khan
Skeet Women
Parinaaz Dhaliwal
Raiza Dhillon
Maheshwari Chauhan
