Virat Kohli tops Forbes Asia list

Kohli, Sania, Saina lead pack of 56 Indians in Forbes' Asia list

Indian batting mainstay Virat Kohli, tennis star Sania Mirza and top-seeded badminton player 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.

The Forbes '30 under 30 Asia' list included 300 young and driven entrepreneurs and game-changers from countries like India, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Pakistan, Vietnam and Australia.

As many as 56 Indians featured in the list with 27-year old Kohli, Mirza and Nehwal and 26-year old actress Shraddha Kapoor lead the pack.

At the top of India's cricket culture was batting prince Kohli, who led India to clean sweep in their Twenty 20 series against Australia in January. Forbes named Kohli among India's highest earning celebrities in 2015 at $ 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 and highest profile athletes in the country.

She is currently the World's No 1 female doubles tennis player with partner Martina Hingis.

Forbes described 25-year old Nehwal as a role model and Indian badminton queen.

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.