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Fifteen-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued his meteoric rise after being named in India’s 15-member squad for the 2026 Asian Games, where the defending champions will look to retain their men’s cricket gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The teenager headlines a strong Indian squad announced by the BCCI, with Shreyas Iyer set to lead the side and Tilak Varma named vice-captain.

Sooryavanshi’s selection comes on the back of a sensational IPL 2026 campaign in which he scored 776 runs in 16 innings at a staggering strike rate of 237.30. The Rajasthan Royals batter also smashed 72 sixes and became the youngest player in tournament history to win the Orange Cap.

The call-up caps a remarkable day for the teenager, who was also included in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England.

India opts for full-strength squad

Unlike previous multi-sport events where second-string squads were often fielded, India has opted for a near full-strength T20 outfit as it targets back-to-back Asian Games gold medals.

The squad features experienced internationals including Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy.

India’s squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

The men’s cricket competition will be played in T20 format from September 24 to October 3. India enters the tournament as the defending Asian Games champion after winning gold at Hangzhou 2023 and will also carry the tag of reigning ICC T20 World Cup holders into the event.