Asian Youth Games: India’s U16 Girls All Set for 3x3 Basketball Battle in Bahrain
All four players were part of the national team's core lineup that recently clinched the U16 FIBA Asia Cup Division B title.
Bahrain, 2025: The 3rd Asian Youth Games (AYG) 2025 are underway in Manama, Bahrain, bringing together the continent’s best young athletes after a 12-year gap.
A total of 222 Indian athletes are participating across 21 sports at the Games, which run from October 22 to 31. The ongoing edition marks the third installment of the continental youth event, following Singapore (2009) and Nanjing, China (2013).
Organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the Games serve as a key developmental platform for athletes under 18, often a proving ground before progressing to the senior Asian Games or even the Olympics.
The event does not feature 5v5 basketball, and only the 3x3 format has been included, in which India’s U16 Girls Team will be competing.
No Indian 3X3 boys’ team
While both boys’ and girls’ events are being contested, India has sent a team only in the girls’ category this time. As reliably learnt, the boys’ team from India was not given approval from the Union Sports Ministry to participate, for undisclosed reasons.
The girls’ program has shown stronger performances in recent age-group competitions, including the recent U16 FIBA Asia Cup 2025, where they won and received promotion to Division A.
The Indian girls will be led by Captain Viha Reddy Jonnalagadda, joined by Mahek Sharma, Reva Amit Kulkarni, and Nethra Birudavolu. All of them were also part of the winning U16 FIBA Asia Cup team.
The team will compete under the guidance of coach Anitha Pauldurai, a former India captain and one of the country’s most accomplished women’s basketball players, with physiotherapist Reshma Senthilkumar providing support.
India’s Schedule
The 3x3 basketball competition at the Asian Youth Games follows an initial group stage format, with teams playing round-robin matches within their pools. The top-ranked sides from each group advance to the knockout rounds.
October 24, 2025
India vs Sri Lanka – 2:40 PM IST
India vs Maldives – 7:20 PM IST
India vs Palestine – 9:15 PM IST
October 26, 2025
India vs Mongolia – 3:45 PM IST
India vs Indonesia – 6:30 PM IST
India vs Thailand – 8:00 PM IST
Where to Watch
The basketball events will be streamed live on the Asian Youth Games Bahrain 2025 YouTube Channel.
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