Somewhere in a quiet locality called Egmore in Chennai, a silent sport revolution is taking place, reports Hamsini Ravi.
That’s right, move aside, cricket and tennis, squash is here to grab the limelight! Names like Saurav Ghosal, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal,now familiar to sport lovers in the country, are testimony to the rising popularity of squash in Tamil Nadu. Dominating the squash scene in the country, Tamil Nadu rules the roost in most categories; while Dipika and Anwesha Reddy are peerless in the junior girls’ category, the women’s category is dominated by Dipika and Joshna. World ranked 39 and presently training in England is national champion Saurav Ghosal,whoalso represents Tamil Nadu.
Following the footprints of the Champs.
With dreams of emulating the Ghosals and Chinappas, everyday around 100 young hopefuls enter the superbly constructed India Cements Limited Squash Academy in Egmore. The state-of-art infrastructure at the academy boasts of seven glass back rainbow courts and an ASB 4- sided glass court which has a seating capacity of 500 and enables television coverage from all angles, it also has a squash-specific gymnasium with imported equipment and a 25-metre swimming pool. Run by the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) and conceived by N.Ramachandran, recently elected President of the World Squash Federation, the ICL Squash Academy was established in 2000.
With Dhronacharya Awarded Cyrus Poncha at the helm, and consultant coach from Malaysia, Major Maniam, the academy has produced many a national asset. “Indian squash has improved in recent times. About 8 years ago we were ranked 16th in the world team championships. Today we are in the top 8 in the men’s, junior men’s, women’s and junior women’s world championships. We have enough players who have the potential to be world beaters in the future,” says the Major.
The transition of squash from a club game pursued by hobbyists to a full fledged competitive sport is evident in Tamil Nadu. Saurav Ghosal, who was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in August 2007, has an impressive array of international medals including an Asian Games Bronze Medal, three Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles and the British Universities Championship. Ranked 39, he is the highest ever ranked Indian male. “Saurav is likely to break into the top 20 in a year’s time”, says Major Maniam. Joshna Chinappa, who reached a career highest ranking of 35 in May 2008, is another formidable force from the squash powerhouse state, reaching the finals of both the Vietnam Open and the NSC Tour in Malaysia, she is capable of winning many more laurels for the country.
Major Maniam feel that age is on the side of is on both Saurav and Joshna’s “For a squash player, the peak age is between 24 to 27 years; Saurav and Joshna are only 22,” says the Major. The same can be said of teenage sensation Dipika Pallikal, a former trainee of the ICL Squash Academy, who has won a total of 20 titles in International tournaments in Australia, Europe and Asia has been ranked as the No.1 junior in the Under-19 World WISPA rising star rankings.
Spreading the Buzz of Squash
The ICL academy also hosts a number of international squash tournaments; it recently hosted the Indian Challenger tournament, a $15,000 PS Atour event, and will host the World International Doubles Squash Championship in December. The academy also hosts the Chennai Open, now an annual PSA tournament. A 16- year-old student of the academy, Akshay Deepak says, “The exposurewe get from interacting with and observing international players is tremendous”.
As a general rule winners are expected to do things differently, and not merely do different things; the ICL academy is no exception to the rule. “At our academy, we have world class facilities, structured coaching and proven methods of training; we cover all major aspects of training – physical, psychological, technical, tactical and life skills. The gym and swimming pool play an extensive role in the training process”, says Major Maniam. In the pipeline and ready to prove their mettle are players like Anaka Alankamony, Harita Omprakash, Aparajitha Balamurukan, Harinder Pal Singh and Ravi Dixit. Being the nerve center of squash in India, the ICL squash academy in Chennai attracts players from other states like Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan.
The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) is fully supportive of the endeavors of Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association. A new squash complex has been constructed with private partnership in the Nehru Park Sports Complex as part of the Joint Infrastructure Development Programme. The Chennai Open, is fully supported by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport under the scheme for preparation for the Common Wealth Games in 2010. Major Maniam is appreciative of the government’s support: “The Government through the SDAT is very supportive of squash activities in the state. However, we look forward to their support in making sports medicines more widely available and accessible.”
Making Squash Every Person’s Dream
There is a widespread misconception that squash is a rich man’s sport, shattering the stereotype, Major Maniam says, “A month of squash coaching in our academy costs Rs. 2, 500 and participation fees in tournaments are nominal.” The academy also has a scheme for under privileged children, offering free coaching to talented players who cannot afford the coaching, and presently has about 30 children enrolled in the scheme. B. Balamurugan and A. Parthiban are two school drop outs who were marker boys in the squash courts. Spotting their talent and hunger, Maniam, inducted them into the formal training in the academy. After technical and coaching inputs, their game blossomed, and the two made a mark at the national level. At the recently concluded National Championships in August, Balamurugan and Parthiban were finalists in the professional men’s category, with Parthiban walking away with the title. Balamurugan who was a member of the Indian team in the Asian Senior Championships in 2002 isnowa coach at the ICLAcademy. Bala and Parthi, as they are affectionately called, are ideal examples of the academy’s commitment in helping disadvantaged sections of the society.
Creating the In fracture across centres
Is Squash in Tamil Nadu limited only to Chennai? “No!” says Major Maniam, “Efforts are being made by our academy to assist districts in building squash courts. Salem, being a case in point, has already seen an overwhelming response to its newly constructed squash court. A few more districts have already started construction of squash courts.” School and college-level tournaments are also organized in plenty in the state of Tamil Nadu. These signs are encouraging, and the future for squash in TamilNadu certainly looks rosy. The successful model of squash training in Tamil Nadu w i l l soon be replicated in other states in India. “Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Jaipur and Jodhpur have squash centers in a small scale, and by increasing the fund flow and ensuring strong leadership, we can expect fresh squash talent to surface from these parts,” says the Major.
Following campaigns by the World Squash Federation to confer the Olympic Game status to squash, the game has been short listed for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games. It is an event in the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi, and one can expect a promising battery of squash talent raking up a gold mine!
