14-Year-Old Shuttler Unnati Hooda Youngest Indian To Be Part Of Asian Games Squad

The 14-year-old teenage sensation from Rohtak, Unnati Hooda has become the youngest Indian to feature in Asian Games squad.

The Badminton Association of India on Thursday announced strong contingents to participate in the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. The 14-year-old teenage sensation from Rohtak, Unnati Hooda, has secured a place for the Asian Games as well as Uber Cup by finishing third in the women's singles at trials after Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha, who claimed first and second positions respectively.

Hooda is the youngest Indian badminton player to be part of the Asian Games squad. Following six days filled with high-voltage competition and nail-biting action in the selection trials at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi, the squads for the upcoming events were announced.

For the Commonwealth Games, the men's team consists of Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty and B Sumeeth Reddy while PV Sindhu will lead the women's squad which has Aakarshi Kashyap, Treesa Jolly, Gayatri P and Ashwini Ponappa.  Sumeet Reddy and Ponappa made the cut into the men's and women's squads respectively for the Commonwealth Games after their top-place finish in the mixed doubles category.

A 10-member women's team for the Asian Games and Uber Cup will consist of PV Sindhu, Kashyap, Chaliha, Hooda alongside Top-3 doubles pairs from the trials-Treesa Jolly-Gayatri P, N Sikki Reddy-Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto-Shruti Mishra.

Sindhu, Sen, Srikanth and men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj and Shetty were awarded direct entry into the squads for their world rankings inside Top-15. In-form shuttler HS Prannoy has also been included as part of automatic selection for his consistent impressive recent form at the international circuit.