Commonwealth Games 2022: Dipika Pallikal to lead - full Indian squash team
India will be sending nine squash players, including 14-year-old Anahat Singh, for the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.
Reigning world women’s and mixed doubles champions Dipika Pallikal will lead the nine-member Indian squash team at the Commonwealth Games 2022 to be held in Birmingham later this month.
Dipika Pallikal will partner Joshna Chinappa in women’s doubles and Saurav Ghosal in the mixed doubles. Dipika Pallikal has not featured in competitive singles since 2019 and expectedly, will play only in doubles at Birmingham 2022.
Joshna Chinappa and Saurav Ghosal, meanwhile, are India’s best bets in their respective singles categories at the CWG 2022.
World No. 15 Saurav Ghosal is India’s top-ranked men’s player. In women’s, world No. 17 Joshna Chinappa, is the only Indian featuring in the top 100 rankings.
Both the players are currently stationed at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai for training ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2022.
The Indian squash squad also includes 14-year-old Anahat Singh, who won the Asian U-15 title earlier this year.
Squash has been a part of the Commonwealth Games since 1998. However, India won their first medal only at Glasgow 2014 when Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal won gold in women’s doubles.
At the last edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2018, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal lost in the final to settle for silver. Dipika had also won silver in the mixed doubles with Saurav Ghosal.
The Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham will begin on July 28 and conclude on August 8. The squash events will start on July 29 and will be held at the University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre.
Commonwealth Games 2022: Full Indian squash team
Men’s singles
Saurav Ghosal, Abhay Singh, Ramit Tandon
Women’s singles
Joshna Chinappa, Sunayna Kuruvilla, Anahat Singh
Men’s doubles
Ramit Tandon-Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, Velavan Senthilkumar-Abhay Singh
Mixed doubles
Saurav Ghosal-Dipika Pallikal; Ramit Tandon-Joshna Chinappa.
Women’s doubles
Joshna Chinappa-Dipika Pallikal
Mixed doubles
Joshna Chinappa-Dipika Pallikal