Joshna Chinappa fixed her date with history. Playing in Kuala Lumpur, she won her maiden Women’s International Squash Players’ Association (WISPA) title and became the first Indian woman to achieve such a feat. A week later, playing in Chennai, she added another WISPA title to her tally. The Chennai girl has not only set a precedent, but also reinforced India’s expanding foothold in squash.
Joshna’s twin wins have raised the bar. Till a few months back, for all her talent and persistence, the silverware was missing. Now, ranked 39 worldwide, she is ambitious enough to see a place for herself in the top ten. “It’s a relief. I have had lots of opportunities to win titles, but I kept losing in finals and semifinals. Hopefully, I can consolidate on these victories and win more titles,” she says.
Indians to the fore
On a broader canvas, Joshna is not the lone Indian making waves internationally. Dipika Pallikal, just 17 years old and ranked 53rd, went all the way in the 2008 Chennai Open before being thwarted in the final by Annie Au, who won the award for this year's most promising youngster. Saying that “Joshna has set the benchmark and younger players like me can seek inspiration from her”, Dipika aspires to make the top 50 by the end of the year. National coach Cyrus Poncha feels that is possible.
In the men’s section, 2006 Asian Games bronze medallist Saurav Ghosal won the Ornano International Squash Open recently. The 21-year-old believes he has the arsenal to crack the top 30 sooner than later. So does Cyrus. “He works hard and his game is constantly improving; there is no reason why he shouldn’t break into the top 30. By the time of the next Asiad and Commonwealth Games, he will be 24 — the peak age for a squash player,” says Cyrus.
Then there is five-time national champion Ritwik Bhattacharya. The former India No 1 might be pushing 30, but he overcame a spate of injuries to win the PSA India Challenger #1 and believes that he is fit enough to make a mark at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. “The hunger was always there and now that I have regained my rhythm, I am hopeful of a good show at the World Doubles Championship in Chennai between December 15-20,” he says. Compared to the numbers thrown up by squash bastions Pakistan, Egypt, England and Australia, there are only two Indians apiece in the top 100 of the WISPA (Joshna and Dipika) and PSA (Professional Squash Association) rankings (Saurav and Ritwik). However, India being a slow starter in this sport, the achievements of these players should be appreciated.
Youngsters on the rise
The Indian boys’ team, having managed a fourth-place finish at the World Junior Championship in Zurich, provides cause for optimism. If the likes of Harinder Pal Sandhu, Vikram Malhotra, Karan Malik, Aditya Jagtap, Ramit Tandon and Ravi Dixit among the boys, and V Anwesha Reddy, Anaka Alankamony (Asian junior champion), Aparajitha Balamurukan and Haritha Omprakash among the girls, fulfil their promise, India will be a force to reckon with in world squash. “It’s not about just one or two players hogging the limelight. There is quality and depth in our talent pool. The gap between these players is marginal, ensuring tough competition at the domestic level. Our boys are among the top eight junior teams in the world and hope to break into the top three,” says Major Maniam, consultant coach with the Squash Racquets Federation of India (SRFI).
Money, awards matter
Along with the growth in talent, there has been a rise in prize money for Indian squash players. In the last five years, the number of national and international tournaments in the country has doubled, and so has the prize money. Apart from hosting the Chennai Open each year since 2003, the India Cements Limited (ICL) Squash Academy has been the venue for the World Men's Team Championship (2007), the World Junior Championship (2002) and the World Doubles Championship (2004). The total prize money at the PSA Chennai Challenger was $15,000 and the purse at the 2008 Chennai Open was $10,000. At the same time, the Centre has put squash on its priority list, and conferred the Dronacharya Award on Cyrus (2005) and the Arjuna Award on Saurav (2007). There is money and recognition. Consequently, more and more players are pursuing the game as a viable profession.
Model for growth
When N Ramachandran, World Squash Federation president and the guiding hand behind the ICL Squash Academy, says that “the gateway to squash has moved from Mumbai to Chennai”, it is not without reason. Established in the late 1990s, the academy has churned out quite a few quality players, most notably Saurav and Dipika, and can claim to have helped in the growth of squash in India. Along with the playing facilities that the academy offers, players have benefited from the expertise of Maniam, a retired Malaysian army Major who, after shifting base to Chennai, has put in place a five-year action plan for developing squash players in the country.
“If the infrastructure is in place, players will automatically develop because there is no dearth of talent here. At the academy, we have a world-class court, apart from six others, a state-of-the-art gym and other essential facilities. Another key factor is organisation. We have a structured system for both coaching and administration. Making the game popular is the other big challenge. For this, we conduct tournaments at the school level and select players to train at the academy. We now have players coming in from Chandigarh, Maharashtra and Jaipur,” elaborates Maniam.
The road ahead
“To sustain the development of the game in the country,” says Ramachandran, “spreading the game to the district level is important.” If squash in India is to grow further, much depends on traditional squash strongholds such as Ajmer, Indore, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata setting up academies similar to the one in Chennai. Squash clinics are now being organised in Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata and the SRFI has plans to set up academies in the metros. Indeed, the signs are positive.
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