New Delhi:
Squash has been a poor cousin of other racquet sports in the country but with the in-form trio of Saurav Ghosal, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal making waves internationally, India has a good chance of winning its first Commonwealth Games medal in the sport at the 2010 edition.
Ever since its introduction in the Commonwealth Games in 1998, squash has been one of the low-profile events for India but the jinx could be broken this time when the Indian players hit the Siri Fort squash court tomorrow.
With the likes of world ranked 26th Ghosal, Chinappa (34), Pallikal (33) and Siddharth Suchde (71), the country can aim for a medal haul in the doubles and mixed doubles categories.
India's top player Ghosal is realistic about his chances in the men's singles event but believes India can pack a punch when it comes to team events.
The notable omission of former India number one Ritwik Bhattacharya from the squad also makes Ghosal's task a bit harder in the individual event where the field comprises England, Malaysia and Australia, considered to be traditional powerhouses in the sport.
"In the singles event, I need to pull off a couple of upsets in order to advance to the later stages. I am confident of doing that in front of the home crowd. I would be playing world number 3 Peter Barker in the pre-quarters. I think the draw has made a lot of difference," the 24-year-old Kolkata player said.
"In mixed doubles and doubles, the Indians have a good shot at the medal. I would be playing with Dipika in mixed doubles and we have done pretty well in recent past. Harinder Pal Sandhu will line-up with Joshna Chinappa in mixed doubles. They have also done well.
"So we have bright chances in that category. In doubles, Joshna-Dipika pack a punch. They are simply great in their equation," said Ghosal.
The entire 10-member contingent is taking part in the event for the first time and coach Cyrus Poncha feels they have the ability to produce good results in front of the home crowd.
"India have never won a Commonwealth Games medal. We do hope this year we will be able to change this record," said Poncha.
"We have players like Ghosal and Dipika who can pull off some upsets in the individual category. But I am confident of a medal haul in mixed and doubles events. All players have been training hard and are in a positive mindset ahead of the Games," Poncha added.
In the Delhi Games, the squash competition will feature five events - singles (men and women), doubles (men and women) and mixed doubles -- and will have 15 medals at stake.
India will have to ward off some stiff challenge from English and Aussie players to win a medal in the Games. The main attractions in the men's category will be England's Nick Matthew, James Willstrop, Peter Barker and Daryl Selby ranked among the top 10 in the world respectively.
Australians are also not far behind with world number 12 David Palmer and number 16 Cameron Pilley also in good nick in the international circuit.
In the women's section, world number one from Malaysia Nicole David, England's Jenny Duncaff and Australia's Rachel Grinham will be tough nuts to crack for the Indians.
But the home team, led by Dipika and Joshna, who have regularly come up with heartening performances at both national and international events, is confident of a good showing in the event.
"The preparation has been good. We will put our best foot forward. We have been seeded second in the doubles category and are mixing up well at the international tournaments. We are looking for a good medal haul. The home crowd will also play an important role," Chinappa said.
The Indian duo won an invitational tournament in Manchester this year and from there on, started taking the doubles game more seriously.
They beat the Australian duo of Kasey Brown and Donna Urquhart in the final of the ESR International doubles championship in Manchester.
While Chinappa won the German Open on the WISPA Pro tour in May this year, Dipika won the WISPA Indian challenger this year and reached the finals of the Cairo Open in Egypt.
The squash event will take place from Oct 4-13 at the Siri Fort Complex.
Ever since its introduction in the Commonwealth Games in 1998, squash has been one of the low-profile events for India but the jinx could be broken this time when the Indian players hit the Siri Fort squash court tomorrow.
With the likes of world ranked 26th Ghosal, Chinappa (34), Pallikal (33) and Siddharth Suchde (71), the country can aim for a medal haul in the doubles and mixed doubles categories.
India's top player Ghosal is realistic about his chances in the men's singles event but believes India can pack a punch when it comes to team events.
The notable omission of former India number one Ritwik Bhattacharya from the squad also makes Ghosal's task a bit harder in the individual event where the field comprises England, Malaysia and Australia, considered to be traditional powerhouses in the sport.
"In the singles event, I need to pull off a couple of upsets in order to advance to the later stages. I am confident of doing that in front of the home crowd. I would be playing world number 3 Peter Barker in the pre-quarters. I think the draw has made a lot of difference," the 24-year-old Kolkata player said.
"In mixed doubles and doubles, the Indians have a good shot at the medal. I would be playing with Dipika in mixed doubles and we have done pretty well in recent past. Harinder Pal Sandhu will line-up with Joshna Chinappa in mixed doubles. They have also done well.
"So we have bright chances in that category. In doubles, Joshna-Dipika pack a punch. They are simply great in their equation," said Ghosal.
The entire 10-member contingent is taking part in the event for the first time and coach Cyrus Poncha feels they have the ability to produce good results in front of the home crowd.
"India have never won a Commonwealth Games medal. We do hope this year we will be able to change this record," said Poncha.
"We have players like Ghosal and Dipika who can pull off some upsets in the individual category. But I am confident of a medal haul in mixed and doubles events. All players have been training hard and are in a positive mindset ahead of the Games," Poncha added.
In the Delhi Games, the squash competition will feature five events - singles (men and women), doubles (men and women) and mixed doubles -- and will have 15 medals at stake.
India will have to ward off some stiff challenge from English and Aussie players to win a medal in the Games. The main attractions in the men's category will be England's Nick Matthew, James Willstrop, Peter Barker and Daryl Selby ranked among the top 10 in the world respectively.
Australians are also not far behind with world number 12 David Palmer and number 16 Cameron Pilley also in good nick in the international circuit.
In the women's section, world number one from Malaysia Nicole David, England's Jenny Duncaff and Australia's Rachel Grinham will be tough nuts to crack for the Indians.
But the home team, led by Dipika and Joshna, who have regularly come up with heartening performances at both national and international events, is confident of a good showing in the event.
"The preparation has been good. We will put our best foot forward. We have been seeded second in the doubles category and are mixing up well at the international tournaments. We are looking for a good medal haul. The home crowd will also play an important role," Chinappa said.
The Indian duo won an invitational tournament in Manchester this year and from there on, started taking the doubles game more seriously.
They beat the Australian duo of Kasey Brown and Donna Urquhart in the final of the ESR International doubles championship in Manchester.
While Chinappa won the German Open on the WISPA Pro tour in May this year, Dipika won the WISPA Indian challenger this year and reached the finals of the Cairo Open in Egypt.
The squash event will take place from Oct 4-13 at the Siri Fort Complex.
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