CHENNAI: Saurav Ghosal reckons the prospect of playing squash with 'zero risk till a vaccine is available' is minimal. The World No 13, who was last inside the court in the second week of March, says the sport's dynamics is such that there will always be a risk.
"We are going to be in close proximity, be it singles or doubles, it does not matter," the 33-year-old says. "If I'm playing singles one day and sparring against somebody else the next day... that's why it doesn't really matter if it's singles or doubles. If one of the players has it, it can spread. That's even before you factor in the constant travel."
Considering physical distancing is not possible in the sport, has Ghosal thought about the risk to reward factor till a vaccine is in mass production? "I don't want to speculate at this stage," he says. "People will have their own perspectives. For me personally, if the risk is, say, about 25%, I might consider playing. But if the chances of me catching it are about 50-50, that is significant and I might have to take a decision then."
One of the most successful Indian players in the sport, Ghosal is of the opinion that the Professional Squash Association (PSA) will come with a detailed list of dos, don'ts and the way forward for the sport in the next month or so. "I don't sit on the PSA board so I don't know the details, but I think they will announce something within the next month."
No events have been held at the professional level since March second week and everything has been cancelled at least till September. No wonder then that the Kolkata lad hopes for the circuit to restart sooner rather than later. "In the next month or so, I think PSA will let us know about what shape the calendar will have for the rest of the year."
For the time being though, he can only continue to keep training at home as he waits for clubs to open in Kolkata to restart regular training.
Fund for strugglers
Meanwhile, the PSA's charity arm — PSA Foundation — launched the "We Are One" fund last week in order "to support professional squash players who are experiencing both financial and emotional difficulties due to the impact of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic," according to a press release from the body.
"The fund is a player-driven initiative that aims to bring the global squash community together to provide relief to the players that need urgent financial support following the suspension of the PSA Tour."