A medal in squash has been elusive so far. Will history be rewritten by India’s two leading players?
Her looks could easily lead one to mistake her for a model. But then such things have never bothered 19-year-old Dipika Pallikal who is used to the extra limelight and attention. For her, the sport is the most important thing and right now all her thoughts are focused on doing well at the Commonwealth Games 2010.
Saurav Ghosal, 22, is already in the top 30 in the world and has made his presence felt in the last few years. It has been quite an incredible ride for him but for the past two years, one thing has been driving him to better current form is the Commonwealth Games. The desire to bring home the first ever medal in squash is something which is driving both these players. But they’re not alone in their quest for glory.
Joshna Chinappa and Ritwik Bhattacharya have been around for sometime. As coach Cyrus Poncha puts it, “We have a good chance to create history and win India’s first medal in squash.” Yet it’s Ghosal, who has attained a career-high ranking of 29, who looks the best bet. “I think my game has improved and am confident of doing well in Delhi,” he says. He believes that unpredictability and versatility are the two things one needs to survive in the top tier of the game. He won a bronze at the Doha Asian Games, but Ghoshal is looking to go two steps better this October.
Pallikal, on the other hand, was seen as a prodigious talent who has not often lived up to her billing. But she accepts the criticism and says that you have to take it on your chin and not get too bothered about what people say or think. “The most important thing is to learn from your mistakes and work hard,” says the girl from Bangalore. And working hard is something she has been doing. Training stints in Europe have helped in improving her game. Do people not take her seriously because of her looks and the modeling assignments she takes on? “Sport comes first for me and the rest are fringe benefits,” she says firmly.
Ghoshal feels that having Bhattacharya around is of great help. “He is one of the most focused players I have ever come across,” he says of his senior partner. He expects the Indian contingent to do well in doubles as well. Ghoshal had left his hometown Kolkata at a young age and moved to Chennai to live with his grandparents. He joined the ICL academy there, where he was spotted. “I always wanted to be cricketer but decided against it,” he says. Cricket’s loss is squash’s gain.
Pallika became a national champion at the age of 11. She too trained at the ICL academy. At the junior level, she has won almost everything in sight including the German, British and French Open titles. She says that she is still on the learning curve and has been working hard to replicate this success at the senior level as well. There could be no better occasion than the Commonwealth Games.
