BAI names 16-member squad for Dutch and German Junior Open

Talented shuttlers Ravi and Mansi Singh will lead a 16-member Indian squad at the upcoming junior international Grand Prix tournaments in the Netherlands and Germany, Badminton Association of India (BAI) said on Saturday. The Dutch Junior International will be held from February 26 to March 1 in Haarlem, Netherlands, while German Junior will take place from March 4 to 8 in Berlin. Ravi of Haryana will look to continue his sterling form after winning the first selection tournament in Chandigarh and finishing as a runner-up in the second selection tournament in Bangalore.

Besides him, the Bangalore Ranking Tournament champion Harsh Arora will be part of the men's singles squad along with Nagpur's Rohan Gurbani and Tamil Nadu's Rithvik Sanjeevi S. In girls' singles, Lucknow girl Mansi Singh will be leading the charge for India. Mansi, who finished at the top in both the selection tournaments, will be looking forward to continuing her exceptional form in the international circuit. Besides Mansi, Dubai International Series gold medallist Tasnim Mir and rising stars Aditi Bhatt from Uttarakhand and Utsava Palit from West Bengal will make up the Indian girls' singles squad.

The pair of Achutaditya Rao Doddavarappu and Edwin Joy will be keen to impress with their performance along with the pair of Gireesh Nayudu B and Sankarprasad Udaykumar in the boys' doubles event. In girls' doubles, the Uttar Pradesh duo of Shruti Mishra and Shailja Shukla will be spearheading the Indian challenge along with Aditi Bhatt and Tanya Hemant.  Shruti will also be a key contender in the mixed doubles along with partner Edwin Joy. The other pair representing India in the category will be Sankarprasad Udaykumar and Treesa Jolly.

Squad

Boys: Ravi, Rithvik Sanjeevi S, Rohan Gurbani, Harsh Arora, Achutaditya Rao Doddavarappu, Edwin Joy, Gireesh Nayudu B and Snakarprasad Udaykumar

Girls: Mansi Singh, Tasnim Mir, Aditi Bhatt, Utsava Palit, Shruti Mishra, Shailja Shukla,Treesa Jolly and Tanya Hemant.