Bolstered by experienced campaigners like Unnati Hooda and Rakshitha Sree, along with a strong line-up featuring a current and former junior world number one, host India is gearing up for a historic performance at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships, starting Monday at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati.
The BWF World Junior Championships return to India after a 17-year gap and will be played in two phases from October 6-19. The first phase features 36 teams competing for the coveted Suhandinata Cup in the mixed team championships, followed by the individual championships for the Eye-Level Cup.
India has won a total of 11 individual medals in the history of the championships, with its best-ever performance coming in Pune in 2008, when the team secured a gold and a bronze. The current Indian squad has the potential not only to surpass that tally but also to contend for a mixed team medal, thanks to the depth and strength of the lineup that has earned the hosts the second seeding.
Placed in Group H alongside UAE, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, India is favored to top the group and vie for a medal in the newly introduced best-of-three set relay-scoring format, in which each set is a race to 45 points.
“We have been performing consistently well in junior events over the past few years, with BAI providing ample exposure to the players in preparation for the World Junior Championships in Guwahati. We expect multiple medals this time as most team members have been training at this very venue for the last year,” said BAI Honorary General Secretary Sanjay Mishra.
India will kick off its campaign against Nepal on Monday, followed by matches against Sri Lanka on Tuesday and UAE on Wednesday. If they top the group as expected, India is likely to face former champions South Korea in the knock-out stage—a win that could secure a historic medal for the hosts.
Other strong medal contenders include 14-time champions China, as well as badminton powerhouses Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and current holders Indonesia. Indonesia, in particular, is in top form, having clinched the Asian Mixed Team title by defeating China in February, while India narrowly missed beating Japan in the quarterfinals.
India’s medal hopes in individual events will rest primarily on the girls’ singles, featuring Asian U-19 bronze medallist and current junior world number one Tanvi Sharma, Vennala K, China Open quarterfinalist Unnati, and Rakshitha Sree.
“All four of our girls’ singles players are medal contenders and even have gold medal potential. Our boys can also challenge any opponent on their day, and I am confident they will excel in home conditions,” said the team’s foreign singles coach, Park Tae-Sang.
In boys’ singles, India will rely on junior world number 14 Rounak Chohan and 17-year-old Gnana Dattu TT. In paired events, hopes are high for the boys’ doubles combination of Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu, who reached the world number one ranking in January this year.
“I know India has never won a medal in paired events before, but this time we have a formidable line-up. These players have been competing regularly on the circuit, and their training experience at this venue should serve them well,” said Russian doubles specialist coach Ivan Sozonov.
Spectators can enjoy free entry to the championships at the NCE, Guwahati. The semi-finals and finals of both team and individual events will be broadcast live on DD Sports, while all nine courts during the initial rounds up to the quarterfinals will be live-streamed on BAI’s YouTube channel.
Indian Team:
Boys’ Singles: Rounak Chouhan, Gnana Dattu T.T., Lalthazuala H., Suryaksh Rawat
Girls’ Singles: Tanvi Sharma, Vennala Kalagotla, Unnati Hooda, Rakshitha Sree
Boys’ Doubles: Sumith A.R. / Bhavya Chhabra, Bhargav Ram Arigela / Viswa Tej Gobburu, Vishnu Kedhar Kode / Mithileish P. Krishnan
Girls’ Doubles: Vennala Kalagotla / Reshika U, Gayatri Rawat / Mansa Rawat, Aanya Bisht / Angel Punera
Mixed Doubles: Bhavya Chhabra / Vishakha Toppo, Lalramsanga C / Taarini Suri, Vishnu Kedhar Kode / Keerthy Manchala, Vansh Dev / Dianka Waldia
