India’s 40-member rifle and pistol contingent is set to compete at the ISSF World Shooting Championships 2025, taking place from November 6 to 18 at the Egypt International Olympic City.
The event, featuring over 720 shooters from 72 nations, serves as a mid-cycle test of India’s global shooting depth and a critical opportunity to consolidate ranking points and World Cup Final berths ahead of the 2026 competitive season. Leading India’s charge are Olympic medalists Manu Bhaker and Swapnil Kusale, joined by emerging stars Sift Kaur Samra, Rudrankksh Patil, and Esha Singh. The team’s blend of youthful energy and veteran experience places India among the top contenders to challenge global powerhouses like China and Norway.
Unlike previous World Championships that revolved around Olympic qualification, Cairo 2025 is strategically about World Cup Final (WCF) qualification and ranking consolidation. The top three finishers in each individual event secure direct berths to December’s WCF though many Indian shooters, including Suruchi Singh and Rudrankksh Patil, already hold WCF spots through their 2025 World Cup performances.
Thus, India’s priority is not quota acquisition but ranking preservation and dominance validation. High finishes here will translate into better seedings for 2026, keeping India firmly positioned as a top-two shooting nation, second only to China.
Rifle Contingent: Familiar Strengths, New Motivation
In rifle events, India brings an elite lineup across both air and 3-position categories.
Men’s Air Rifle: The trio of Rudrankksh Patil, Arjun Babuta, and Vishal Singh forms a high-potential squad. Patil, who famously clinched his 2022 world title at this very Cairo venue, returns with both confidence and history on his side. Having won gold at the 2025 Buenos Aires World Cup, the 20-year-old enters Cairo as a legitimate favorite. Babuta, currently ranked among the world’s top 10, brings recent mixed-team success, including a gold with Elavenil Valarivan at the 2025 Asian Championships.
Women’s Air Rifle: India’s women’s squad Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya Agrawal, and Meghna Sajjanar is built on experience and balance. Valarivan’s resurgence, highlighted by her Asian Championship gold in Shymkent, has reaffirmed her world-class status. She’s shown particular strength under pressure, converting low-qualification starts into gold-medal finishes a trait that could prove decisive in Cairo’s elimination rounds.
50m Rifle 3 Positions: India’s strongest rifle medal hopes come from the 3P disciplines. On the men’s side, Swapnil Kusale, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, and Niraj Kumar make up a formidable team. Kusale, India’s Paris 2024 bronze medalist, is in fine form and brings vital stability in this endurance-driven event. Tomar, the 2025 Asian Champion, complements Kusale’s experience with fresh momentum.
For the women, Sift Kaur Samra, Ashi Chouksey, and Anjum Moudgil comprise one of India’s most complete teams. Samra, the Asian Games champion, continues to redefine Indian marksmanship. Her come-from-behind win at the 2025 Asian Championship where she edged out China’s Yujie Yang in the final shot showcased her nerves of steel and psychological resilience. The trio, which secured team gold at the Asian Championships, will enter Cairo as genuine podium favorites.
Pistol Power: The Women Lead the Charge
India’s pistol contingent, particularly the women’s squad, has been the standout story of the 2025 season.
10m Air Pistol Women: The trio of Suruchi Singh, Esha Singh, and Manu Bhaker has been virtually unbeatable in 2025. Suruchi, now World No. 1, captured three consecutive World Cup gold medals (Buenos Aires, Lima, Munich), while Esha Singh completed India’s clean sweep of all four World Cup golds with her triumph in Ningbo. Manu Bhaker, ever consistent, added silvers and bronzes along the way, underscoring the squad’s incredible depth.
This internal rivalry three world-class athletes pushing each other daily has forged one of the most dominant units in world shooting. In Cairo, they are strong favorites for multiple medals in both individual and team categories.
25m Pistol Women: The experienced Rahi Sarnobat joins Bhaker and Esha for the 25m event. Rahi’s return brings invaluable experience to a young side. Her technical mastery and calm under pressure traits that won her India’s first World Cup gold in the event years ago add crucial balance to the lineup. Esha’s recent silver in Buenos Aires indicates her growing mastery of the dual-stage format, while Bhaker’s versatility across both air and sport pistol remains a major asset.
Men’s Pistol Outlook: In men’s pistol, Varun Tomar, Samrat Rana, and Sharvan Kumar lead the 10m challenge. Tomar, ranked in the world’s top 10, has shown flashes of brilliance but will need consistency to match the women’s dominance. In 25m Rapid Fire, Anish Bhanwala spearheads the effort after his Asian Championship silver, with Adarsh Singh and Sameer completing the team.
India’s strength in mixed team events could once again prove decisive.
In Air Rifle Mixed, the gold-winning pairing of Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan returns after defeating China at the Asian Championships. A second pairing of Rudrankksh Patil and Shreya Agrawal offers depth and redundancy both teams capable of reaching medal rounds.
In Air Pistol Mixed, the duos of Suruchi Singh–Sharvan Kumar and Esha Singh–Samrat Rana will aim to replicate India’s 2023 world title success. The women’s form gives India a major advantage, provided the men deliver stable qualifying scores.
The Indian shooting contingent enters Cairo following its best-ever World Cup circuit, securing 22 medals (9 Gold) across four stages. With eight medals from Buenos Aires alone and a consistent top-two global ranking throughout 2025, India’s momentum is undeniable.
Statistically, India’s highest medal probabilities lie in:
- Women’s 10m Air Pistol (individual & team) global dominance, led by Suruchi Singh.
- Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions, Sift Kaur Samra’s exceptional clutch form.
- 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team, proven gold synergy with Babuta–Valarivan.
Potential podium finishes are also expected in Men’s 50m 3 Positions, Men’s Air Rifle, and 10m Air Pistol Mixed.
Eyes on Cairo: Pressure, Precision, and Parity
For India, Cairo is not just another competition it’s a validation of its transformation into a global shooting superpower. The objective extends beyond medals: to sustain post-Olympic excellence, dominate global rankings, and reinforce India’s brand as a powerhouse of precision sport.
With a balanced blend of emerging prodigies and seasoned champions, the 2025 World Championships could well be another defining chapter in Indian shooting one where consistency meets confidence, and talent translates into history.
Live Finals: ISSF YouTube Channel (Nov 8–18)
