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Saurav Ghosal fought through the pain barrier to help India become the highest ranked Asian nation at the Men’s World Team Squash Championship in Mulhouse, France.
India beat Malaysia 2-0 with Mahesh Mangaonkar and Saurav Ghosal winning in contrasting styles over tough opponents on the final day of the championships. Malaysia finished 8th and Pakistan lost to Scotland to finish 10th in the final rankings. Hong Kong, Kuwait and Japan finished further down the order.
Mahesh Mangaonkar was first on court against World no.60 Muhd. Asyraf Azan. Asyraf is know to be a temperamental player and Mahesh was disciplined throughout the game, testing Azan’s patience and his mental and physical fortitude.
Mahesh stuck to his game plan and kept the rallies going as he ground out the points in the first game. Mahesh’s strategy paid off as he won the tight game 14/12. In the second game, Mahesh got in front of Asyraf and controlled the pace of the game. Asian Championship Semifinalist Asyraf struggled to find a way past the Indian youngster and fell two games behind, losing the second game 4/11. Mahesh continued with his game plan in the third, playing out the long rallies and increasing the pressure on the Malaysian. Mahesh eventually closed out the win 14/12 11/4 11/7 to put India 1-0 ahead in the tie.
With the first match in the bag, it was left to Indian no.1 Saurav Ghosal to seal the victory against Malaysian champion Ong Beng Hee. Ong Beng Hee was ranked as high as 7 in the world, and was largely expected to provide a stern test for Saurav. The Indian no.1 started off well, but the workload this week took its toll as Saurav struggled to run on court. Saurav was hampered by cramps in his quadriceps and hamstring and groin whenever he tried to step on his left leg. Saurav soldiered on, but Ong Beng Hee played smart and bagged the first two games 11/6 11/7.
Saurav Ghosal’s burning desire to win for India saw him push through the pain and he began to stretch for every point in the third game. Ong Beng Hee kept to his game plan but Saurav had too much skill and desire to let go of the match, and he eked out the third game 12/10 to get back in the match. Saurav, hampered in his movement by injury, still proved to be a cut above the Malaysian champion and won the next two games 11/7 11/9.
Reflecting on the tournament, Cyrus Poncha, Indian National Coach said, “I am reasonably pleased with 7th. There is great satisfaction in becoming the the highest ranked Asian Nation at these championship ahead of traditional powerhouses Malaysia, Pakistan and Hong Kong”.
Results:
Malaysia 0-2 IndiaMuhd Asyraf Azan 0-3 Mahesh Mangaonkar 12/14 4/11 7/11Ong Being Hee 2-3 Saurav Ghosal 11/6 11/7 10/12 7/11 9/11
