Entering into the Asian Games at Incheon, South Korea in 2014, India perhaps had at their disposal the best ever squash contingent. The team was entering into the competition with the likes of Dipika Pallikal, Joshna Chinappa, Saurav Ghosal, Harinder Pal Sandhu etc looking to bring glory to the nation.
The Indian Squash contingent were heading to the competition after having an excellent time at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where the Women's Doubles pairing of Chinappa and Pallikal won the gold medal in the Women’s Doubles event. So while the Asian Games were going to be a stiff challenge for the Indians, their form heading into it was pretty encouraging.
It was Dipika Pallikal who got the medal tally off the mark for India as she won the bronze medal, after losing her semifinal to Nicol David of Malaysia.
Leading the team in the Men’s Singles contingent, Saurav Ghosal overcame two-time Asian Games gold medalist and former World No.7 Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia in the semifinals 11-9 11-9 11-4 in 45 minutes to set up a clash against Abdullah AlMuzayen of Kuwait for the gold medal match.
The summit clash began in ominous fashion for the Indian as he won the opening game before his Kuwaitian opponent forged a fine comeback to win the next game and then the decider to win the contest. While it certainly was a heartbreaking result, he became the first Indian squash player to win a silver medal in the history of the Asian Games for India.
The disappointment of the Men’s Singles final was shortlived as in the team, Ghosal along with Harinder Pal Sandhu, Mahesh and Kush Kumar claimed the gold medal in the team event, beating the Malaysian quartet of Mohammad Nafiizwan Adnan, Mohammad Azlan Sikandar, Ong Bee Hee and Ivan Yuen 2-0 in the final.
There was much anticipation from the Women’s team to secure a second gold, but unfortunately, their Malaysian opponents proved to be too good for them as they beat the Indians 2-0 to clinch gold.
In the overall scheme in squash, India finished with a tally of 4 medals, just one behind Malaysia’s 5. It was a number that many past teams hadn't come even close to and it was a real watershed moment in the history of Indian squash.
One year on, India have seen an improvement in performance not just at the senior level but also at the junior level with Velavan Senthilkumar winning a bronze in the Men's Singes and a silver in the Mixed Doubles event with Harshit Jawanda at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.
The Asian Games exploit was a reminder of the potential that is present within the current group of players and here’s hoping that this performance proves to be an inspiration for several other budding squash players.
