India’s squad comprises six men and six women competing in singles.

Anahat, seeded second in the women’s draw behind Egypt’s three-time defending champion Amina Orfi, is carrying rich form into the tournament. The 17-year-old, ranked 54th in the senior world rankings, recently clinched the U19 Asian girls’ title and also secured Asian senior doubles gold earlier this year.

Joining her in the women’s section is Anika Dubey, a bronze medallist in U17 at the Asian Junior Championships in South Korea last month.

In the men’s draw, Arihant KS and Yusha Nafees are seeded, while Aryaveer Dewan, the reigning U17 Asian champion, is also part of the squad. Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria, the defending champion, is top seed in the men’s category.

No Indian has won an individual junior world title so far. Joshna Chinappa came closest as runner-up in 2005.

Squash is set to debut at the LA 2028 Olympics, raising the stakes for emerging talents worldwide.

Indian squad.

Men: Arihant KS, Yusha Nafees, Karan Yadav, Shiven Agarwal, Aryaveer Dewan, Sandhesh P.

Women: Anahat Singh, Anika Dubey, Unnati Tripathi, Rudra Singh, Navya Sundararajan, Aradhya Porwal. PTI ATK KHS