3x3 Basketball: India’s U16 Girls Finish 5th at Asian Youth Games 2025
The team battled through group stage competition, reaching the quarterfinals in Bahrain, though outside shooting remains a concern.
Bahrain, October 28: The Indian U16 Women’s 3x3 basketball team finished fifth at the 3rd Asian Youth Games, which were held in Bahrain from October 23 to 30. They had a spirited run that saw them reach the quarterfinals before losing to Iran.
The tournament doubled as a qualifying event for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, adding weight to every result.
While the girls’ fifth-place finish reflects promise, the absence of an Indian boys’ team, which we’d flagged previously, needs further investigation, considering the Olympic qualification stakes.
Strong Start, Painful Finish
Led by captain Viha Jonnalagadda, alongside Mahek Sharma, Reva Kulkarni, and Nethra Birudavolu, India dominated much of the group stage, winning five of six games. They beat Sri Lanka (21–6), Maldives (21–14), Palestine (21–6), Mongolia (21–15), and Indonesia (18–15) before suffering a setback against Thailand (9–15) in their final Pool B match-up.
That loss proved costly, placing India second in the pool and setting up a quarterfinal clash with Iran, where they fell 10–15. Iran went on to claim silver, behind champions Chinese Taipei, while China took bronze.
What Worked, What Didn’t
According to official tournament data, India averaged 42% field goals, driven largely by efficient one-point scoring (51%). However, their two-point shooting percentage of just 17% (10 out of 58 attempts) exposed a critical weakness in outside shooting, an area where 3x3 teams need to excel.
Jonnalagadda was India’s top scorer with 46 points and an impressive 60% shooting accuracy, followed by Sharma and Kulkarni with 29 points each.
Kulkarni, however, struggled from deep, converting only 15% of her two-point attempts (6/39). What’s worse is that the other three players attempted only a combined 19 shots from beyond the arc, converting just 4.
India’s free-throw efficiency (72%) and quick ball movement were positives, but the inability to consistently hit long-range shots cost them crucial momentum against stronger sides like Thailand and Iran.
Is it time India invested in 3x3 specialists?
A recurring oversight has been India’s lack of a dedicated 3x3 training and development structure. All four players sent to Bahrain were also part of the U16 team that won the FIBA Asia Cup Division B (5v5 format) earlier this year, a commendable feat, but one that also raises questions.
Unlike 5v5, the 3x3 format demands faster decision-making, greater physical endurance, and high-volume shooting efficiency. Games are played on a smaller court with a 12-second shot clock, a pace that can exhaust players used to the more structured rhythm of traditional basketball.
Notably, earlier this year, BFI President Aadhav Arjuna emphasized the federation’s plans to build a stronger 3x3 ecosystem through school and grassroots initiatives.
Yet, despite those ambitions, the same players from the 5v5 setup were once again fielded for the Asian Youth Games, highlighting a gap between long-term desires and on-ground execution.
While it’s true that many Asian teams, like Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, and Iran, also fielded players who competed in both the FIBA Asia Cup and the Youth Games, the difference lies in the depth of each country’s systems.
For India to seriously compete at the continental and Olympic levels, creating a dedicated 3x3 pathway is the next essential step.
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