At squash Worlds, bunch of Indians seek a belief boost 

Mumbai: Ramit Tandon, India’s top-ranked squash pro, distinctly remembers the buzz he felt going into his first World Championships in 2019, and the lessons he took out of it.

“I was excited just to be there,” he recalled. “I was so happy to have made it, that it ate out of my performance.”

Giving a hungrier Tandon company at the PSA World Championships in Chicago starting Friday will be four other Indians. Three among them are first-timers who could well relate to how Tandon felt as a debutant. Tandon (ranked 34) and Abhay Singh (38) have known the taste of a Worlds, but for Velavan Senthilkumar (45), Veer Chotrani (57) and Anahat Singh (62), it’s a new dish.

That five Indians have earned a spot in the table for the world’s top 64 men and women is a sign of the growing depth in Indian squash at present. In the previous Worlds, Tandon was the only Indian. The last time five or more from the country turned up for the Worlds was when the likes of Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinnappa were closer to their prime and competing in the latter rounds. Over the last few years, the presence of Indians there has dwindled.

Thus, while the base of Indian squash has widened again, the challenge remains to take it deeper in events like the Worlds over the next few years leading into squash’s debut at the 2028 LA Olympics.

“It’s something the Indians deal with — a bit of nerves, and not having that culture,” said Tandon, whose best showing at the Worlds has been a Round of 32 outing. “As we go through the rounds, we celebrate it, but there’s not enough belief (to go deeper). For the Egyptians, that’s not the culture. It’s what we’re working towards, to have that belief to string together performances day after day in such tournaments.”

Also working towards that is Abhay. He is heading to the Worlds with a PSA Challenger title in New York and a runner-up finish at the PSA bronze event in Mumbai that has propelled his ranking to 38.

“I’ve started playing the bigger events now for the last few seasons, so I’m relaxed as usual,” said Abhay, whose 2023 Worlds appearance ended in the first round. “But I’ll have to take my chances and convert matches because those don’t come easy at this level.”

Competing at that level will largely be new territory for the rest. Senthilkumar, 27, earned a spot through his ranking, while Chotrani, 23, and 17-year-old Anahat by winning the Asian qualifying event.

“It’s amazing for Indian squash to have this kind of depth,” Tandon, 32, said. “For them, just being there is a tick. It’s a good headspace to be in, where they can play more freely. That goes for Anahat too.”

Except Tandon, all Indians will run into seeded opponents in their opening rounds. Tandon reckons upsets are increasingly frequent in squash now, and the trend could roll into this Worlds being held in the last leg of the PSA season with many players “worn out”.

Tandon himself had to retire from the second round last year. The world No.34 beat higher-ranked Timothy Brownell in last month’s Platinum event in El Gouna before a neck issue disrupted plans. Training for a few days with world No.1 Egyptian Mostafa Asal in New York before flying to Chicago, the top-ranked Indian is seeking greater consistency.

“I have beaten top 10, 20 players in the world. It hasn’t happened as regularly as I would’ve liked, but there is a belief that on my day I can take anyone out,” Tandon said. “But I’ve had ups and downs where I could beat anyone one day and lose to anyone the next. I’m trying to find a space of greater consistency.”