Anitha Pauldurai is an Indian basketball player from Tamil Nadu, widely regarded as one of the most experienced players to have represented the Indian senior women's national basketball team. Born in 1985, she has had a long career in domestic and international basketball, serving for many years as captain of the Indian national side.
| Full name | Anitha Pauldurai |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Home state | Tamil Nadu |
| National team | India women's national basketball team |
| Role | Player; former captain of the national team |
Anitha hails from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where she took up basketball at a young age and rose through age-group ranks at the school and state level. She represented Tamil Nadu in domestic competitions including the Senior National Basketball Championship, where the state has historically been one of the strongest contingents in the women's category.
Anitha made her debut for the Indian senior women's basketball team while still in her teens and went on to feature in numerous editions of the FIBA Asia Women's Championship and other continental and sub-continental tournaments. She also represented India at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games during her career.
Known for her perimeter play and leadership on court, she captained the national side over multiple campaigns. Domestically, she has been associated with Indian Railways, one of the leading institutional teams in Indian women's basketball, and has been a regular in their squads for the federation cup and national championship circuits.
Anitha has been recognised with sports honours in Tamil Nadu for her contribution to basketball, and has been featured prominently in coverage of Indian women's basketball as a long-serving senior player and captain. She has also been involved in promoting the sport among young women players after the latter part of her playing career.
Her longevity in the national side, spanning more than a decade, makes her a notable figure in the history of Indian women's basketball, a sport that has traditionally drawn a strong talent pool from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and the Indian Railways institutional setup.