BWF World Junior Championships 2025: Formidable India geared up for historic performance on home turf
(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
India’s home crowd is buzzing as the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships return to Guwahati after a 17‑year break. The four‑day action starts on Monday, 6 October, at the National Centre of Excellence, a venue that has become the training home for many of the country’s top junior players.
Why this event matters
The championships run in two parts. First, 36 national teams compete for the Suhandinata Cup in a mixed‑team format that now uses a best‑of‑three relay‑scoring system – each set ends at 45 points. After the team phase, individual athletes battle for the Eye‑Level Cup titles. India has never won a medal in the mixed‑team event, but its record in singles and doubles is improving steadily, and 11 individual medals have been won since the tournament began.
In 2008, at Pune, India captured a gold and a bronze. The current squad, seeded second overall, looks ready to eclipse that performance and break new ground.
The squad that’s sparking hope
India’s lineup is packed with talent that has trained here all year. Key singles names include:
- Tanvi Sharma – Asian U‑19 bronze medallist and junior world No. 1.
- Vennala K – China Open quarter‑finalist.
- Unnati Hooda – former junior world No. 1 and current star.
- Rakshitha Sree – experienced campaigner with deep run at past World Juniors.
For the boys, Rounak Chohan (world No. 14) and 17‑year‑old Gnana Dattu TT bring grit, while the pair Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu topped the world rankings earlier this year.
Coach Park Tae‑Sang says the team is ready to take advantage of home conditions. “Our boys can win against anyone on their day, and we are confident they will excel here,” he told the press. Russian doubles specialist Ivan Sozonov added that the sheer experience of regular circuit play and training at the centre gives the pair event hopefuls a renewed edge.
Group H: A clear favourite
India is grouped with the UAE, Sri Lanka, and Nepal in Group H. The hosts are expected to finish at the top of the group and face the knock‑out stage.
The opening matches are lined up as follows:
- Monday – India vs. Nepal
- Tuesday – India vs. Sri Lanka
- Wednesday – India vs. UAE
If India sweeps the group, they would likely encounter the defending champions, South Korea, in the quarter‑finals. A win would secure a medal and make history.
Other strong contenders that will be eyeing a podium finish include China (14‑time champions), Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia (recent Asian Mixed Team champions). Indo‑Pak rivalry is expected to keep the drama high, with India already having come close to beating Japan in earlier quarter‑finals.
Performance expectations
- Mixed Team – “We’ve trained at this venue for a year,” said BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra in a BAI press release. “We’re expecting multiple medals.”
- Girls Singles – The top four players from India are genuine medal contenders, possibly even the tournament winners.
- Boys Singles – Chohan and Dattu TT will push hard, with a slip possibility over top international opponents.
- Pairs – The reigning world number‑one combination has now entered the tournament as favourites, hoping they can finally claim a medal for India at the world junior level.
Stay tuned for more
The BWF World Junior Badminton Championships will run through 19 October. Each match and player’s journey will feed into India’s bid to become a historic medal‑winning host country. Follow coverage from the National Centre of Excellence for live updates, match scores, and player highlights.
Whether it’s the thrill of the relay set‑scoring or the intimacy of seeing young talents shine on home soil, the tournament promises an exciting blend of sport and national pride. India stands ready to make the event a memorable chapter in badminton history.
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