Saurav Ghosal (born 10 August 1986, in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
) is a professional
squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
player from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 10 in April 2019. He completed his schooling at
Lakshmipat Singhania Academy
Lakshmipat Singhania Academy (LSA) are a group of schools run by Lakshmipat Singhania Education Foundation, a subsidiary of the J.K. Group. There are two branches of LSA - in Kolkata, West Bengal and Bissau, Jhunjhunu District, Rajasthan. The ...
in Kolkata.
Career overview
In 2013, Saurav became the first
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n to reach the Quarter finals of the
World Squash Championship at Manchester, England. In 2004, he became the first
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n ever to win the coveted
British Junior Open Under-19
Squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
title, defeating Adel El Said of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
in the final at
Sheffield, England
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...
.
Saurav moved to
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
after completing his school and was based at the ICL squash academy in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and coached by Major (Rtd) Maniam and
Cyrus Poncha
Cyrus Poncha is an Indian Squash (sport), squash administrator and coach. Born in Mumbai, he is currently based out of Chennai, and coaches at the ICL-TNSRA Squash Academy. Presently, he is the Secretary General of Squash Rackets Federation of I ...
in Chennai, India. Currently based in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, he trains with Malcolm Willstrop at Pontefract Squash Club in West Yorkshire. Saurav is the current Indian national champion after he defeated Gaurav Nandrajog at the National Championships 2006 in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
. As of May 2010, his PSA world rank is 27. In the top 100 in the world are two of his Indian Squash Colleagues
Siddharth Suchde
Siddharth Suchde (born 20 January 1985, in Mumbai) is a professional squash player from India. He grew up in India, Scotland and Switzerland. He studied in Cathedral School in Bombay and completed his high school education from Merchiston Cast ...
(80) and
Harinder Pal Sandhu
Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (born 31 March 1989 in Chandigarh), known as Harinder Pal Sandhu, is an Indian professional squash (sport), squash player. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 47 in April 2018.
He was a part of the Ind ...
(90).
Saurav won the bronze medal at the Asian Games 2006 Doha and was awarded the
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
by the President of India in August 2007 thus becoming the first Squash player from the country to get the award.
Saurav started playing squash in his hometown of Kolkata, at the Kolkata Racquet Club. He did his schooling from
Lakshmipat Singhania Academy
Lakshmipat Singhania Academy (LSA) are a group of schools run by Lakshmipat Singhania Education Foundation, a subsidiary of the J.K. Group. There are two branches of LSA - in Kolkata, West Bengal and Bissau, Jhunjhunu District, Rajasthan. The ...
, before moving to Chennai to join the
ICL Squash Academy. Here he was coached by retired Major Maniam and Cyrus Poncha.
Ghosal has numerous firsts to his credit, the first Indian to be ranked junior World No one, the first to bag the junior National championship three years in a row and in December 2006, he won the country the first medal in squash in the Doha Asian Games. His first major title was the German Open (U-17) in May 2002 and he won the Dutch Open two months later.
In 2013, he became the first Indian squash player to reach the quarterfinals of the
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
.
In 2014, he won the silver medal (individual singles) in the 17th
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
at Incheon. He was the first Indian squash player to do so. He lost in the final to
Abdullah Al-Muzayen of Kuwait. He however led the Indian Squash team to its first ever Gold Medal at Incheon. In the final he bounced back from a game down to eke out a 6-11 11-7 11-6 12-14 11-9 win over former world no. 7, Ong Beng Hee in a gruelling 88-minute clash to give India a healthy 2-0 lead
Ghosal also remains the first Indian player to claim a place in the world’s top 10 during the 2018-19 campaign.
Saurav Ghosal has been named as the Professional Squash Association’s (PSA) Men’s President as one of three new additions to the PSA’s Board of Directors, which were officially confirmed at the association’s annual AGM on Wednesday December 22, 2021.
In August 2022, Ghosal became the first Indian men's squash singles medalist at the
Birmingham Commonwealth Games after he beat 2018 reigning champion
James Willstrop
James Willstrop (born 15 August 1983) is an English professional squash player living in Yorkshire, England. He was born in North Walsham, Norfolk, England.
Career
Willstrop has a large build for a squash player, being and . He trains at P ...
of England in straight sets in the bronze medal playoff to take the bronze medal. He defeated Shamil Wakeel of Sri Lanka 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 in the second round, beat
David Baillargeon of Canada 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 in the third round. In the quarter-final, he recovered from a defeat in the second set to see off Scotland’s
Greg Lobbon 11-5, 8-11, 11-7, 11-3 before falling to New Zealand’s world no. 2 and eventual gold medallist
Paul Coll
Paul Daniel Coll (born 9 May 1992) is a professional squash player from New Zealand. In March 2022, he became the first New Zealand man to achieve a world ranking of World No. 1. He is the current British Open champion, having won this tourn ...
9-11, 4-11, 1-11 in the semi-final.
Personal life
Saurav married Diya Pallikal (sister of
Dipika Pallikal Karthik
Dipika Pallikal Karthik (née Pallikal; born 21 September 1991) is an Indian professional squash player. She is the first Indian to break into the top 10 in the PSA Women's rankings.
Dipika Pallikal came to prominence in 2011, when she won th ...
) on 1 February 2017.
References
External links
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*
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Newspaper articles on Saurav's PSA Otters winSaurav's interview in DNAArticles on Saurav on Cyrus Poncha's squash BlogRediff interview"Asiad: Men’s squash team gets historic gold, women grab silver"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghosal, Saurav
Indian male squash players
Recipients of the Arjuna Award
1986 births
Living people
Racket sportspeople from Kolkata
Asian Games medalists in squash
Squash players at the 2002 Asian Games
Squash players at the 2006 Asian Games
Squash players at the 2010 Asian Games
Squash players at the 2014 Asian Games
Squash players at the 2018 Asian Games
Asian Games gold medalists for India
Asian Games silver medalists for India
Asian Games bronze medalists for India
Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games
Squash players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Squash players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Squash players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for India
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for India
Commonwealth Games medallists in squash
South Asian Games bronze medalists for India
South Asian Games medalists in squash
Competitors at the 2009 World Games