The Hindu : Sport / Squash : ‘The key to Egypt’s success is structured and scientific training’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Squash

‘The key to Egypt’s success is structured and scientific training’

S.R. Suryanarayan

— Photo: K. Pichumani

Satinder Bajwa.

CHENNAI: Satinder Bajwa left India over four decades ago and spent much of his youth in the US and the UK. He was interested in tennis but a passion for squash soon caught up and he ended up playing in the professional circuit, reaching a career best ranking of 32. But the world came to know him more for his association with one of the sport’s legends, Jansher Khan of Pakistan.

For eight years from 1990 when Jansher ruled the squash world, Bajwa was, as his manager-cum-coach, the man who helped the great Pakistani maintain his level of supremacy.

As the head coach of the visiting Harvard University women’s team, Bajwa and the team were in the city on Monday on a brief match-cum-cultural learning experience as part of an India tour. The Harvard delegation had arrived in Mumbai and from here the members move on to New Delhi and from there, Bajwa said with a tinge of sentiment, “we will go to Chandigarh — where I have launched a squash Khel Shala (academy) for the underprivileged children — and expose these girls to community service.”

Changing scenario

Despite the way Pakistan has produced such great players as Jansher and Jehangir Khan, Bajwa is not surprised that it is not the exploits of the Pakistani legends the game is known by today but the champions that Egypt has been coming up with.

He spoke of the changing scenario in squash. “Egypt was the top squash nation once, then Pakistan took over, and it is now back to Egypt.

“The key to Egypt’s success is structured and scientific training. If it was passion that had driven Pakistan players to the top, that has ebbed because Pakistan squash no longer has the financial support as earlier,” he said.

In the years to come, he predicts, with squash gaining to be recognised as a subject for scientific research — most sporting disciplines are — “you would see the Europeans coming up strongly.”

Praise for Chennai

Bajwa had a word of praise for Chennai’s Indian Squash Academy, the structured training methods that Maj. Maniam had brought in and the role of Cyrus Poncha in nurturing talent.

“We in Harvard have this once-in-four-year global trip and, this time, we decided to head to India, firstly to get to know Mumbai, the New York of India, secondly to experience the atmosphere in the hub of Indian squash that is Chennai, thirdly to see one of the wonders of the world that is the Taj Mahal and lastly to visit my Khel Shala in Chandigarh — an academy started by me last August with the thought of giving something back to India, the country of my birth,” he summed up.

The team members which had a couple of Indians — Alisha Mashruwala and Vidya Rajan — played against the members of the India junior team.

Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal, though now seniors, joined in too, on special request from Bajwa.

“Some experience” said Alisha “for when we return we will ready for our inter-collegiate matches.”

Incidentally, Harvard is the No.1 college squash team in the world, reminded Bajwa.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport