India name 17-member junior squad for Dutch and German badminton meets

National U-17 champion Gnana Dattu T will lead India's 17-member squad at the the Dutch Junior International and German Junior badminton tournaments to be played in February and March this year.

The squad also includes junior world number six Raunak Chouhan, Adarshini Shri and doubles specialists Bhavya Chhabra and Param Chaudhary, among others.

The Dutch Junior International will be played in Haarlem, Netherlands from February 26 to March 2, while the German Junior will be held in Mulheim an der Ruhr from March 5-9.

The Indian contingent consists of four boys and girls singles players each, two boys doubles and two girls doubles combinations, and two mixed doubles pairs.

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 Dutch Junior International and the 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," Badminton Association of India General Secretary, Sanjay Mishra said in a release.

"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 10 of the BWF World Junior Rankings."

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.

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.

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

Mixed Doubles: Bhavya Chhabra/Angel Punera, Lairamsanga C/Vishakha Toppo.