World o. 14 Saurav Ghosal is all of 31, but is still the poster boy of Indian squash
India's squash star Saurav Ghosal. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
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World o. 14 Saurav Ghosal is all of 31, but is still the poster boy of Indian squash. With an eye on glory at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia (April 4-15), Ghosal, a 12-time national champion, will battle it out in the inaugural Vedanta Indian Open Squash tournament at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) in Worli beginning today. The right-hander felt he has been playing well in the last six months which will hold him in good stead for the competition Down Under.
“The CWG and Asian Games [August 18-September 2 in Jakarta, Indonesia] are happening this year, but the CWG is obviously the first thing on my mind. I will be playing the singles and mixed doubles with Dipika Pallikal. For the last six months and especially since last December, I have played pretty well, so I think I have given myself a decent shot for a singles medal. Nothing on the squash calendar compares to the experience of being in a multi-sport event like the CWG or Asiad,” Ghosal, who lost to then World No. 1 James Willstrop of England in the singles semi-finals at the 2014 CWG in Glasgow, Scotland, said yesterday ahead of the USD 35,000 PSA event in the city.
Top seeded in the 16-man main draw of the Indian Open, Ghosal was happy to see a PSA event at home. “Having tournaments in India is a big fillip. It is convenient and motivating for Indian players. We don’t have to travel and it’s is always good to play at home.”