‘Would like to mentor young India players’

MUMBAI: At 37, having spent more than twenty years of that playing professional squash, Saurav Ghosal felt like he was finally running out of fuel after last year’s Asian Games, where he earned India a team gold and singles silver.

Choosing to retire from the professional tour, where he left a celebrated mark as India’s most successful male player and the only one to break into the top 10, was therefore a timely call. Ghosal, though, isn’t done with squash yet.

He hopes to end his playing journey representing India, while also mentoring the current crop of the country’s young talent and growing the sport at the ground level. Excerpts from an interview:

What made you take this decision?

After the Asian Games last year, I felt a bit jaded and running out of fuel both mentally and physically. I felt like I needed some time away to let the mind and body heal a little. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve kept the window open to play for India. This does give me some time to hopefully rekindle the hunger and desire. All these years, I’ve really enjoyed playing on the tour. But going into tournaments the last few months, I felt like I wasn’t enjoying as much. And I didn’t want that to be the last bit of my career. Hopefully this gives me the chance to come back with the best version of myself whenever I play for India.

You made the top 50 in 2006, and the top 10 in 2019. One of your biggest titles came in 2021. Do you feel

like you peaked late in your career?

I produced my best squash at the latter stages of my career. I think I understood my game a lot better. Sometimes you have a switch-flicking moment in your head, when you realise you’re capable of going toe-to-toe with the best. It happened to me closer to when I was 30. The other players felt that as well, and I got that respect on court.

Do you wish it happened a

bit earlier...

You wish for a lot of things. I wish I had made single digits (in the rankings), be top 5. But when I started out, if you’d told me that I’ve achieved what I have, I would’ve been happy. Hopefully I can do a little bit more for India.

On that, do you have tournaments in mind?

We play about 2-3 times a year — the Asian teams, World teams. The (2026) Asian Games and

Commonwealth Games are the two next big multi-sport events. The Olympics is four-and-a-half years away.

My route through the rankings will be shut, but there might be a regional quota. If that happens, maybe the Asian Games will be the one. But I don’t know if I’ll still be able to play at the highest level in a year or two. I’ll sit with my team and see how to pace things.

If I can make it till the Asian Games or the Olympics, that’ll be great. There’s no guarantee that there is going to be a perfect ending. But I would like to finish it playing for India.

Are you also looking at mentoring or coaching the younger Indian players?

I would like to mentor a few young players. Also, take squash to primary schools to increase the base of players. And try and pass my knowledge to the coaches of the country. If we can elevate the coaches and their exposure, the players coming through the system will get better.

People talk about legacy, but the legacy is greater if the sport goes on to greater heights. Otherwise it just withers away. So, whether I’m playing or not, hopefully I can keep contributing in some way and help Indian squash get better.