Virat Kohli, Sania Mirza Lead India's Charge in Forbes' Game Changers List
Virat Kohli, Sania Mirza and Saina nehwal are among 50 Indians to make it to Forbes' 'Under 30 Asia' list, which includes 300 'young and driven entrepreneurs and game changers'
Virat Kohli, Sania Mirza and Saina Nehwal lead the pack of over 50 Indians in Forbes' inaugural list of top "promising young leaders and game changers" under the age of 30 in Asia. (Virat Kohli is Going to be One of Best Skippers, Says Kris Srikkanth)
The Forbes 'Under 30 Asia' list includes 300 "young and driven entrepreneurs and game changers" from countries including India, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Pakistan, Vietnam and Australia, who are contributing to their industries in a significant way. (Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis Extend Winning Streak To 41)
As many as 56 Indians feature in the list with Kohli, Mirza, Nehwal and the 26-year old actress Shraddha Kapoor leading the pack. (Saina Nehwal Wants Deepika Padukone for Her Biopic)
"At the top of India's cricket culture is batting prince Kohli, who led India to clean sweep in their Twenty 20 series against Australia in January," Forbes said of Kohli, who was named among India's highest earning celebrities in 2015 at USD 11.3 million.
Forbes said from the moment 29-year-old Mirza turned pro at age 16 in 2003, she has been the "most successful female Indian tennis player ever" and one of the highest paid athletes in the country.
She is currently world's number one female doubles tennis player with partner Martina Hingis.
Describing Nehwal as a "role model" and "Indian badminton queen", Forbes said she is one of 24 top sportspersons from around the world, standing for election for the International Olympic Committee's Athletics Commission during the Rio Games, this August.
With 10 categories in total, the Forbes 30 Under-30 Asia list highlights inspiring young leaders in various fields covering consumer technology, enterprise technology, arts, healthcare and science, media, social entrepreneurship, finance, industry and retail.
The entertainment and sports category also includes 27-year old Arunima Sinha, who is the first female and first Indian amputee to climb Mt Everest in 2013 and the 28-year old Chaitanya Tamhane, who is the writer and director of the critically acclaimed movie 'Court'.
The retail and e-commerce category features 29-year old Raghav Verma, who co-founded Indian tea chain 'Chaayos' with IIT-Mumbai alumnus Nitin Saluja.