All India Junior Ranking Tournament: National U-17 champion Gnana Dattu T, junior world number six Rounak Chouhan, Adarshini Shri, doubles specialists Bhavya Chhabra and Param Chaudhary, and others will headline India’s challenge in the Dutch Junior International 2025 and the German Junior 2025 badminton tournaments.
The Dutch Junior International will be played in Haarlem from February 26 to March 2 while the German Junior will be held in Mulheim an der Ruhr from March 5-9.
India will be hoping for a couple of medals from both competitions this year, as most of these players have been active on the international circuit, with BAI already providing them exposure tours at various age group levels.
The 17-member Indian contingent will have four boys and girls singles players each, two boys doubles and two girls doubles combinations, and two mixed doubles pairs.
The BAI said the squad was selected based on the BAI Selection Committee’s guidelines, granting direct entry to winners of the All India Junior Ranking Tournament (U-19) in Hyderabad, while the remaining spots were filled through selection trials held in New Delhi, featuring top-ranked players and semifinalists from the Hyderabad event.
“The Yonex Dutch Junior International and the YONEX German Junior competitions have been important tournaments as stepping stones for the development of young athletes. Indian players have been making a mark in these competitions over the last few years before transitioning to the senior circuit.
"This augurs well for the junior development plan that BAI has been focusing on for the last few years, especially with 10 players currently in the top ten of the BWF World Junior Rankings. I am confident that this contingent will also put their best foot forward in the two competitions and make us proud,” said BAI general secretary Sanjay Mishra.
RMV Gurusai Dutt is the only Indian boy’s singles player to win the Dutch Junior International gold medal back in 2008, the same year he also clinched the Commonwealth Youth Games gold and the world junior bronze medal.
Surya Charisma Tamiri had bagged the girls' singles bronze medal in the 2024 German Junior while Ayush Shetty had won the boys' singles bronze medal a year earlier before going on to clinch the 2023 world junior bronze.
India squad:
Boys Singles: Rounak Chouhan, Gnana Dattu TT, Suryaksh Rawat, Pranauv Ram N
Girls Singles: Adarshini Shri, Tanoo Chandra, Rujula Ramu, Tanvi Reddy Andluri
Boys Doubles: Bhavya Chhabra/Param Chaudhary, Mithilesh PK/Vishnu Kedar Kode
Girls Doubles: Pragati Parida/Vishakha Toppo, Anaya Bisht/Angel Punera
Boys Doubles: Bhavya Chhabra/Param Chaudhary, Mithilesh PK/Vishnu Kedar Kode
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Article Source: IANS