May can be a terrible month in Chennai. The summer heat touches the extreme. Staying indoors and perhaps in the comfort of air conditioners can be the best advice. But what if pressures of competition drives you to the playing arena, like the selection trials that the SRFI conducted to pick the Indian squads for the World and Asian junior championships? Yes, go through the rigors with enthusiasm and whatever energy left.
The Indian squash Academy that way buzzed with activity past one week with practically the cream of junior talent from all over the country right there. In all 80 of (boys and girls) in various age categories from U-13 to U-19 were present. Many of them had only weeks earlier been here to play the ISA junior open and to that extent had a fair idea of what to expect in Chennai. It was not that the trials were held in hot and humid conditions as such. But, in the cool of an air-conditioned hall which nevertheless did not diminish the heat of the competitions they had to go through.
“It is tougher than a tournament,” said an official because each player is aiming to come into the top four in his age category and there is no time to relax. In such settings the standards too pick up, as Maj S. Maniam, the outgoing SRFI consultant coach was to observe. “ What I am seeing is a huge improvement in the junior standards. What has also impressed me is that there is a good spread of talents. We have children not from one or two places or Tamil Nadu-heavy. Talents have come in from Delhi, Mumbai, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Goa etc aside from Tamil Nadu,” he said and added, “this is good for Indian squash.”
For years, Maj Maniam has been working with junior talents under his structured programmes and he said watching some of them perform was truly appealing. “ I must say I am highly pleased with the way Aishwarya Khubchandani plays. Just Under-13 and of course this talent has a long way to go but the way she moves on the court reminded me of Nicol David (one of the world's best player).
Nicol used to move like that on court at that young age,”said the Malaysian expert who had a hand in the rise of the Malaysian legend. Even Aishwarya could not sustain the intensity of the competition, when she gave in to Salem girl Diksha Aurobindo after trailing by two games. Exhaustion took its toll on her. But then she had done enough to get the nod in.
National coach, Cyrus Poncha said he had seen several trials in the past but this one stood out for the intensity. “The eagerness and add to that talent, made it interesting clashes on the various courts,”he said, mighty pleased that a good crop of players are on the horizon. Watching the proceedings with intent was the Egyptian coach Ashraf El Karurgui, who is due to join the ISA before long.
He had already stated, in his initial impressions of the talents he had seen, that “three or four of them should rise to world level.” The way he interacted with a few young players it seemed he had enough good ingredients before him to work out memorable moments when he finally decides to take up the India challenge.
Amidst scenes of players dropping with cramps or a touch of nausea, there were smiling faces too, cool heads like Veer Chotrani (U-15), Akanksha Salunkhe or Navmi Sharma, the U-19 and U-17 competitors who all sailed through without much fuss. “Keep it short” seemed their mantra as the tight approach helped them escape from long stays on the courts and conserve stamina. These are three names, it must be said, that would be heard more. Overall it was absorbing for onlookers as what unfolded in the courts was vibrant activity right through.
