The Swish Squash Set

Unlike their peers from other countries, who focus on fitness over fashion, they turn heads off court just as easily as they do on it.

Dipika Pallikal, 15, has a mean squash shot but she8217;s also got under her belt a bunch of modeling and film offers. Currently brand ambassador for a soft drink in Sri Lanka Ole, the Chennai girl, the top-ranked player on the Asian under-15 circuit, has worked for other brands as well. And even got an offer to walk the ramp for a designer label in Chennai.

Then, there8217;s Joshna Chinappa, 20, who, as the country8217;s top women8217;s player and the world No 51, may display her forehand crosscourt lob on court8212;along with her smoking devil tattoo on her shoulder, a pierced belly, the bunch of jingling earrings and, what has become as identifiable as her strong serves, the colourful bandana she sports.

Or take the up-and-coming Surbhi Mishra. The Jaipur-based 16-year-old, who was part of the Indian contingent for the South Asian Federation SAF Games, goes on to court with her sporty chic style,also with her partiality to bandanas.

It seems to be a far cry away from the days of their predecessors, national champion of sixteen times Bhuvneshwari Kumari and Mekhala Subedar, who lit up the court in the 80s and 90s. Yes, they were the stars of their generation and yes, they brought in some Glam factor8212;the squash talent pool is such8212;but Glam 80s can8217;t hold a candle to Glam 2006.

The swish new squash set, in the last two years, has been redefining the rules of the game as much off court as on it8212;three Indians are hovering near the world top 50. In the process, though they may not yet be household names, they are certainly turning out to be an answer to advertisers8217; dreams.

It all began, perhaps, with Ritwik Bhattacharya, 27, who emerged as Indian squash8217;s first pin-up boy in the same generation as Yuvraj and Harbhajan, all products of Liberalisation 1991.

Bhattacharya may be older than the rest but he certainly gives off the air of a celebrity, and with a world ranking of 43, he has shown that he8217;s not got his fame for nothing. He will be doing an ad campaign for Police, and although he hasn8217;t got any offers to walk the ramp yet, he is not averse to the idea. 8220;Why not? It8217;ll be good to have superstars in squash; it8217;ll help the game, and I8217;m ready to do anything to promote the game,8221; says Ritwik, who insists he is 8220;just friends8221; with actress Neha Dhupia.

Delhi8217;s Gaurav Nandrajog, who had caused a sensation by defeating top seed Ritwik in the national championships, doesn8217;t consider his lifestyle as 8220;hectic8221;. 8220;I have a lot of time to do everything I want, I listen to a lot of music on my iPod8212;Nickleback and The Doors are a couple of my favourites, I mostly listen to rock,8221; says the 21-year-old. 8220;I haven8217;t got any offers to endorse products yet8212;I8217;m what you would call a simple guy, my style statement is simply to be yourself.8221;

The recent trend seems to point in the direction of squash8217;s upward curve8212;fashion companies no longer have blinkers when it comes to selecting sports stars for endorsements. This lesser known racket sport has the power to sell products as well as any other.

The old squash set has, of course, noticed the change, and many of them are not happy8212;8220;I think it8217;s the game that should be focussed on. Appearance, in my opinion, doesn8217;t have a bearing on anything. Of course, now things have changed, there8217;s more media attention and all these players have sponsors8212;we didn8217;t have any of what today8217;s squash players have, particularly all this media coverage. In my time, we would play for the title, not the money. Now there are too many distractions,8221; says Bhuvneshwari Kumari, former player and current coach.

But the new squash set just shrugs its well-toned shoulder. 8220;I think it8217;s stupid if you ignore the way you look and turn up for a match in baggy clothes, your hair all in a mess,8221; says Dipika.

She has signed up with Petra soap, KPJ Jewelers and Agarcem Paints. 8220;People should pay attention to these minor details and take pride in their appearance,8221; she adds.

With an attitude like that, no wonder she8217;s caught the eye of the Mittal Champions Trust, who for the first time have signed on Indian squash players.

Trust administrator Manisha Malhotra, a former tennis champ, says they might take on more squash players after the Asian Games. 8220;Joshna was the first athlete we signed up. She came to our notice after she won the British Open juniors last year, and she was already seen as having a lot of potential. Then we decided to take an upcoming player on our books, and that8217;s how Dipika joined us.8221;

Looking good, according to Manisha, is as important as playing well. 8220;Sports like squash, tennis and badminton have always been seen as elite, and it8217;s true that glamour sells. There8217;s nothing wrong with spending a bit of time on yourself. In fact, it will instill confidence, people will sit up and take notice. My squash players are much more fashion-conscious than me,8221; she adds with a laugh.

Anirban Das Blah, Vice-President of Globosport, Mahesh Bhupathi8217;s management company specialising in sports and entertainment, believes Dipika is one of those rare sportspeople possessing charisma and personality, as well as great talent8212;the reason why they decided to make her a part of their venture. 8220;She has the charm and the attitude to be a star8212;that is what the sponsors want, but she8217;s certainly not an Anna Kournikova. It is her game that will get her laurels.8221;

Indeed, the squash set does not believe that looking good and playing well are mutually exclusive. Laughs Joshna Chinappa, the country8217;s top woman player: 8220;My game comes first, I work hard every day, even when I8217;m not playing in a tournament. But away from the court, when I8217;m not training, I8217;m just like any other teenager8221;.

In fact, while purists like Bhuvneshwari Kumari put out the argument that it takes away attention from the game, there are those who say that it helps in the promotion of the sport.

8220;First and foremost, Dipika is an athlete,8221; says Blah, 8220;she has made people take notice of her in terms of her game. Now, we are trying to package her in such a way that it is not only the hardcore sports lover who is aware of her talent8212;it has to go beyond that. Joshna and Dipika can be icons for today8217;s youth for reasons other than their game, and they will definitely help the interest levels rise higher.8221;

Given that they have much in common, it8217;s no surprise that the players hang out together. 8220;After one tournament in Jaipur, we all went partying and had a lot of fun8221;, recalls Mishra. 8220;It doesn8217;t matter who lost to whom, nobody dwells on things like that. We are a pretty close bunch.8221;

The new breed of 8216;racketeers8217; certainly are all set to bring the winds of change to the land of the Sachin Tendulkars and Sania Mirzas, where all glamour and media attention on the sports scene seems to be reserved for cricket and tennis.

But the squash players of today have begun their walk down the long road to stardom. Full of attitude, they aren8217;t afraid of being themselves and don8217;t give much thought to what others think about them.

The new pack exude confidence every time they take to the courts and have a life off it as well. They have a mind of their own and don8217;t need anyone to tell them what to do.

Coming soon to your friendly neighbourhood courts8212;watch out for them!