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National U-17 champion Gnana Dattu T, junior world number six Raunak Chouhan, Adarshini Shri, doubles specialists Bhavya Chhabra and Param Chaudhary, and others will headline India's challenge in the Yonex Dutch Junior International 2025 and the German Junior 2025 badminton tournaments to be played in February and March this year.
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, as per a press release from the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). 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 Indian 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 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 Badminton Association of India General Secretary, Sanjay Mishra. Surya Charisma Tamiri had bagged the girls' singles bronze medal in the 2024 YONEX 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. RMV Gurusai Dutt is the only Indian boy's singles player to win the YONEX 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. 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. Full India squad:Boys Singles: Rounak Chouhan, Gnana Dattu TT, Suryaksh Rawat, Pranauv Ram NGirls Singles: Adarshini Shri, Tanoo Chandra, Rujula Ramu, Tanvi Reddy AndluriBoys Doubles: Bhavya Chhabra/Param Chaudhary, Mithilesh PK/Vishnu Kedar KodeGirls Doubles: Pragati Parida/Vishakha Toppo, Anaya Bisht/Angel PuneraMixed Doubles: Bhavya Chhabra/Angel Punera, Lairamsanga C/Vishakha Toppo. (ANI)
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