Squash shows the way

A recent mention of squash in Forbes magazine as the healthiest of all sports would have been the last idea that inspired the 500-odd participation in the 15th DDA Squash Open tournament at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.

A recent mention of squash in Forbes magazine as the healthiest of all sports would have been the last idea that inspired the 500-odd participation in the 15th DDA Squash Open tournament at the Siri Fort Sports Complex. Foreign participation provided added spice with Malaysia no. 4 Mohammad Asyraf bagging the men8217;s title after Egyptian Tariq bowed out in the semi-finals. The u-12s and u-13s also made up the numbers.

8220;I8217;ve seen my father playing squash every day for two-three hours. I started practising with him and thus the interest grew,8221; says nine-year old Pavan Jaini.

Father Vijay Jaini, the current over-50 national champion, feels the popularity levels of the game must be attributed to its accessibility to the common man today, unlike the way it was during his time the mid-seventies and early eighties and how that has changed the perception of the game.

Elite sport no more

8220;It used to be an elite game during our time, played only in the big clubs or government organisations. As a result, the public had virtually no access to the courts. Now DDA has come up with the infrastructure that is available to everybody,8221; says Saini.

Bharatinder Singh, a doctor and the convenor of health services, Commonwealth Games 2010 stresses that the health enhancement factor associated with the sport has given it a new face.

8220;Being played indoors, you can pick up a racquet and start banging the ball anytime. And in half-an-hour you would end up burning more calories than an hour-long tennis match or 90-minitues of football. It is the best for health in the shortest available time, thus suiting modern-day lifestyle perfectly,8221; says Singh.

Not spectator friendly

A former athlete and a regular squash player now, Singh defines the sport as 8216;twist, turn and back8217; in physiological terms and thinks the only hindrance to further popularity is viewership. 8220;It8217;s not the game fit for a live telecast. Being so fast, the cameras often fail to track the movement of the ball,8221; he adds.

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Men8217;s champion Mohammad Asyraf cannot recall the number of times he has been to India or lost to Saurav Ghosal as a kid, but his experience has only bettered over the years.

8220;I have lost to Ritwik Bhattacharya and Saurav Ghosal in the junior categories. However, I haven8217;t played them for a long time now. During my initial visits to India, I found the courts a bit slippery, but now they are world class, especially here and in Chennai. The more important thing is the money here in India. It is far more than Malaysia at this level. That8217;s why I still keep coming here,8221; says Asyraf.