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Smashing comeback
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SQUASH The sport is picking up in the city and attracting international talent
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Photo: V. Ganesan
FIELD DAY The Indian squash team at the SDAT-ICL Academy, in Nehru Park
Slowly but surely, good things have been happening for Indian squash since the turn of the Millennium. The launch of the ICL Academy in Chennai and its becoming a full-fledged training centre in the last few years, have given squash a boost. There is
greater awareness about the sport now in the country.
The Squash Rackets Federation of India is also keen on bringing some of the finest International competitions to India. The emphasis has been on providing the best training facilities and exposing the trainees to international talent. In the last decade, Chennai alone has hosted the World Junior Championship, the Asian Junior Championship and the World Doubles Championship. The latest — the World Men’s Team Squash Championship — was the best of them all in terms of content. For, it was the biggest field with the presence of top-ranking players, including the world No.1 and amateurs. They made it for the championship in the city, despite the rigours of the World Open, held just a few days ago in Bermuda.
Players such as Amr Shabana (Egypt) and Gregory Gaultier (France), currently world leaders in the sport, made their first trip to India during this championship. “I had earlier visited Pakistan. I guess it is the closest I had come to India,” said Gaultier.Several top players, who were on their maiden visit, were amazed at the facilities available for the sport in the metropolis.
The players too have contributed to the SRFI’s efforts to make the sport a high-profile one. If it was a World Junior Runner-up status that Joshna Chinappa earned, then Saurav Ghosal won the Under-19 British Open and a bronze medal in the Doha Asian Games. The Indian pair, Ritwik Bhattacharya and Saurav Ghosal, finished runners-up in the World Doubles Championship. So progress has been commensurate with the inputs that have gone in to prepare the Indian teams. It is in this light that one has to appreciate the big step forward made in the World Men’s Team Event, when India entered the last eight for the first time in its squash history.
“It has been a fantastic effort,” said an overjoyed N. Ramachandran, Secretary-General of the SRFI and the man whose vision it was to put an academy in place for the overall growth of the sport. “We have achieved what we could not in the last 35 years. I give the credit entirely to the players (Ritwik Bhattacharya, Saurav Ghosal, Siddarth Suchde, Gaurav Nandrajog) and the officials (manager Major S. Maniam and coach Cyrus Poncha). This augurs well for Indian squash in the future with the Commonwealth Games scheduled in 2010,” he added. Ramachandran was quick to announce an award of Rs. 2.5 lakh to the players and officials for the “wonderful work done.”
According to Major Maniam, who was brought to India after his success with the Malaysian team, “Indians are top-10 material. This is a big step forward. This is the way progress has to be considering that a ‘medal’ in the Commonwealth Games is the one big target ahead for India.”
Poncha, who is also the national coach, felt “it was a dream-come-true. We thought a top-10 finish was possible but reaching the quarterfinals was unbelievable. Full credit to the boys.”
Undoubtedly, India’s journey, thus, far has been incredible. But “there is more to be achieved” as Ramachandran says.
S. R. SURYANARAYAN
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