U16 FIBA Asia Cup 2025: India Girls Complete Clean Sweep, Storm Back to Division A
Honoring their 5-0 unbeaten run, Basketball Federation of India (BFI) announces a cash award of ₹12 lakh
Malaysia, September 19: On a Friday night in Seremban, the Indian U16 Women’s Basketball Team rose as one, fighting with every ounce of heart and courage to reclaim a spot among Asia’s elite.
After being relegated to Division B in 2022, and being forced to skip the 2023 edition due to internal administrative issues, the Young Cagers are back in Division A. And they did it in the most emphatic way possible.
With a thrilling 67–66 win over Iran in the final at the Karisma Arena, India completed a perfect 5–0 run to capture their first Division B title since 2017.
Group Stage Brilliance
From the very first game, this team showed they were different. Iran pushed them to the brink in the opener, but India held strong, winning 70–67. Then came Uzbekistan, brushed aside 81–69. Samoa followed, beaten 71–54. By the time the semifinals rolled in, the message was clear, India was here for the crown.
Against Indonesia in the semis, the Indian eves controlled the tempo and closed the door on every comeback attempt to win 65–53.
That set the stage for the grand finale, another battle against the feisty Iranians.
Nail-Biting Finish
The final was not for the faint-hearted.
India led 55–44 early in the last quarter, only to watch Iran claw back and snatch the lead, 62–61, with just over two minutes to go.
For a moment, the ghosts of 2022, when India was relegated after finishing last in Jordan, threatened to resurface.
But nothing has forged champions better than fire.
Enter point guard Vaishnavi Pardeshi, who had not scored a single point all tournament. She picked the most dramatic moment to shine, stealing the ball, running the break, and finishing a tough layup to give India the lead again at 63–62.
Just two points, but worth their weight in gold.
Mahek Sharma was the unsung hero of the final, turning into an absolute beast on the defensive glass. She finished with a monstrous 18 rebounds, 15 of them defensive. Her dominance in the paint denied Iran crucial second-chance points.
Then came shooting guard Aditi Subramanian and power forward Viha Jonnalagadda, adding crucial baskets to make it 67–63 with only seconds left.
Iran tried one last push, but it was India’s night.
When the buzzer sounded, the court exploded in tears, hugs, and unfiltered joy.
An emotional Coach Anitha Pauldurai, a former India captain and one of the greatest to ever wear the jersey, rushed to embrace her girls.
A team that had been written off three years ago had climbed back to the top of Division B, sealed qualification to Division A and much of that credit belongs to Pauldurai.
‘The Girls are Amazing’: Coach Pauldurai
At the post-game press conference India Head Coach Pauldurai said:
"The girls are amazing, whatever I say, they will do. They just want to play basketball. I'm really proud of these girls. As I said, this age group, we just had to motivate them, to just focus on getting promoted to Division A. As I said, I am really proud of these girls, they are the future of the Indian team.
“It's all about teamwork, and it's the same on the ground for those who helped us - the Indian team, the Indian officials, and the Basketball Federation of India.”
Although Division A will be tougher, fiercer, and more unforgiving, this Indian team looks very capable of walking into that arena not as underdogs but as serious competition – a team that will fight for that win until the very last second.
India (Viha Reddy Jonnalagadda 21 pts 10 reb, Mahek Sharma 10 pts 18 reb, Aditi Subramanian 19 pts, Reva Kulkarni 13 pts) bt Iran (Mobina Bereihi 30 pts, Hasti Khazaei 10 pts 11 reb) 67-66 [17-13, 15-19, 20-10, 15-24]
***
If you've come this far...
Appeal to readers - ₹₹ Support Ekalavyas: Ekalavyas is India's first and only basketball media company. We are not foreign-funded, nor investor backed. Your support and encouragement have got us this far. We now need your financial assistance to ensure we can keep providing you timely, accurate and important information. Please contribute via https://razorpay.me/@ekalavyas 🙏🏾. We are accepting contributions as low as Rs. 1/- (including a small processing fee charged by the payment gateway provider). Thank you for playing a part in keeping media independent and objective!
 | A guest post by
|