CHENNAI: The Indian squash team seems to be in fine fettle. Vibes are positive and the training has been quite good for the team. As they prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later in the month, the country’s top woman player Joshna Chinappa talks about what’s good about the team and why it would return with a good show. And course, a few medals.
Even the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI), as always, is contributing its bit to make it easy for the players. They have announced a set of initiatives as part of the HCP Squash Podium Program to improve the ecosystem of the sport in the country. The high-performance camp too is one such step and Joshna was upbeat about it as she talked about India’s chances at the CWG.
She felt that she along with Saurav Ghosal expected to do well. “This is one of the best India teams,” said the 35-year-old. “Saurav and I have been playing on the pro-tours for a number of years. We are still in the top 20 in the world. We (India) definitely have a great chance of winning a medal in doubles. This time, we are trying to push for a medal in singles as well.’’
World No 17 is pleased with the preparations and felt the camp, conducted by SRFI before the Games will help players to chisel out rough edges. “First of all, it is great to have someone like Greg (Gregory Gaultier) here. He is a former world champion. He is a former World No.1. He still plays at an unbelievably high level. He is one of the best trainers we have got in a very long time.
His expertise and knowledge will definitely boost us. Sebastian (Bonmalais) plays on the pro-tour. It is nice to have fresh inputs and fresh minds. The major part of our training was done in the last few months. As you get closer to the tournament, it is about sharpening your skills and playing a lot of matches. It has been great to share the court with both of them.”
Joshna looks forward to having a great pairing with Dipika in England too. “I have had wonderful success with Dipika in doubles as well. But, I always train like a singles player. I am a singles player for the majority of my career. This Commonwealth Games, I am definitely looking forward to doing much better in singles too,’’ she said.