PM Narendra Modi interacted with India’s contingent after their historic 85-medal haul at the 2026 Asian Games. As he praised teenage athletes, 15-year-old cricket gold medalist Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blushed while teammates teased him.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, met and interacted with members of the Indian contingent following their successful campaign at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday, October 15. Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams were also in attendance at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.
Indian contingent bagged 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver, and 37 bronze, and finished fourth on the medal tally, a jump from 12th spot earlier in the competition. Athletics bagged the highest number of medals for India with 24, including one gold, nine silver, and 14 bronze, followed by shooting with 15 medals and archery with nine.
Indian cricket teams won two gold medals, with Harmanpreet Kaur and Shreyas Iyer’s sides clinching the top honours in the women’s and men’s cricket events, defeating Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the final, respectively.
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PM Modi’s Praise for Teenage Champions Leaves Vaibhav Blushing
At an interactive session with the athletes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the contingent’s performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Games and was particularly keen to acknowledge the contributions of teenage athletes who made the country proud.
Modi praised the teenage Indian athletes for their outstanding Asian Games performances, highlighting that age is no barrier to success and starting young can provide a competitive advantage.
“This time in the Asian Games, there were many players on Team India whose age was only 15 to 17 years,” Modi said.
“At such a young age, these players have enhanced the pride of the country with their spectacular performances. They have won the hearts of the countrymen. This shows that for success, age is not a restriction. In sports, it is the start made at a young age that becomes an added advantage,” he added.
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As PM Modi mentioned the performance of teenage stars at the Asian Games, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was sitting alongside his Indian teammates, was caught on camera with an unmissable, blushing smile as his teammates appeared to have nudged and teased him during the speech.
Sooryavanshi was the youngest Indian athlete to win the Asian Games gold medal at just 15 years and a few months old, cementing his meteoric rise in international cricket.
How Did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Perform at the Asian Games 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has already added his first major medal to his growing reputation as one of India’s most prolific young talents. Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in the Asian Games squad came on the back of his impressive showing in the IPL 2026 and his stellar performances in domestic youth circuits.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played a pivotal role in India’s successful Asian Games title defence. In the semifinal, the 15-year-old played a quickfire knock of 38 off 21 balls, including 6 fours and 2 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 180.95. Sooryavanshi showed his adaptability to anchoring the innings and taking on the opposition’s bowling attack with fearlessness on a sluggish pitch.
In the final, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi faced Pakistan for the first time at the senior level in the high-stakes gold medal match, chipping in with a quickfire 15 off 9 balls to lay a sharp platform in India’s 19-run victory over their arch-rivals.
Finishing the tournament with 53 runs across two innings at an explosive strike rate of 176.66, the 15-year-old made history as India’s youngest-ever Asian Games gold medalist. Sooryavanshi is currently part of the Indian squad for the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies and hasn’t yet played a game.
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