|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Kolkata, IND |
| Higher education | Economics, Management - University of Leeds: England |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | His father used to play squash and introduced him to the sport. He also played cricket as a child and at age 13, he had to decide between the two sports and chose squash. |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | Former coach Malcolm Willstrop. (psaworldtour.com, 07 May 2021) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Handedness | Right |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He began playing squash in 1995 at the Calcutta Racket Club in India. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | English, Hindi, Bengali |
General Interest | |
| Other information | PASSING OF A MENTOR In May 2021 his former coach and mentor Malcolm Willstrop passed away from cancer. He first met Willstrop at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Chennai, India, and in 2005 he decided to forego his place at the London School of Economics to instead study at the University of Leeds in England in order to work with the coach. "I remember clear as day Malcolm telling my dad it would be great if I were going to be based at Pontefract, but that if I went to London things would not be possible, so he suggested Leeds which was closest to Pontefract. I think the conversations I had with him both regarding squash but also life will be perhaps the biggest miss for me. I spoke to him periodically and we emailed each other, but he was someone if he asked me to do something I would not ask what for, I would just do it. I just trusted him that much. Anyone at Pontefract, including club players and juniors, will tell you that there will never be another Malcolm Willstrop, no one will ever be capable of replacing him, and I can pay Malcolm no higher tribute." (psaworldtour.com, 07 May 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES He was appointed to the Professional Squash Association [PSA] board of directors as men's president in December 2021. (psaworldtour.com, 01 Jan 2023, 22 Dec 2021) |
| Injuries | He competed at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia with a muscle injury in his left leg. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 26 Aug 2018) In 2011 he suffered from a foot injury. (post.jagran.com, 18 Jul 2011) |
| Awards and honours | In 2013 the Asian Squash Federation presented him with the Dato Alex Lee trophy, given to the outstanding male player of the year. (jagranjosh.com, 25 Apr 2014) In 2007 he received the Arjuna Award for sporting excellence from the Indian government. (sauravghosal.in, 15 Oct 2010) He was a multi-award winner in 2005, being given the Government of India Award for Medal Winners in International Events, Hero Indian Sports Academy Award for the Best Sportsman in Other Sports, and Most Promising Player at the Asian Junior Championships. (sauravghosal.in, 15 Oct 2010) In 2000 he was awarded the Paes En Sport Award for Best Schoolboy Sportsman. (sauravghosal.in, 15 Oct 2010) He was awarded the Jugal Srimal Award for Sports in 2000 and 1999. (sauravghosal.in, 15 Oct 2010) |
| Milestones | Alongside teammates Velavan Senthilkumar, Abhay Singh and Ramit Tandon, he was part of the first Indian men's team to win gold at the Asian Team Championships when they claimed the men's title at the 2022 edition of the tournament in Cheongju, Republic of Korea. (hindustantimes.com, 04 Nov 2022; SportsDeskOnline, 24 Mar 2023) He became the first squash player representing India to win a medal in singles at the Commonwealth Games when he claimed bronze at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, England. (SportsDeskOnline, 26 Aug 2022; thehindu.com, 04 Aug 2022) He and Dipika Karthik became the first Indian squash players to win a gold medal in the mixed event at the world doubles championships, following their victory at the 2022 edition in Glasgow, Scotland. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 May 2022; sportstar.thehindu.com, 09 Apr 2022) He became the first Indian squash player to win a medal at the Asian Games when he claimed bronze in singles at the 2006 Games in Doha, Qatar. He was then part of the team that won India's first gold medal in squash at the Asian Games with victory in the men's team event at the 2014 Games in Incheon, Republic of Korea. (SportsDeskOnline, 26 Aug 2022) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | David Palmer [personal], AUS |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Wife Diya |
General Interest | |
| Famous relatives | His sister-in-law Dipika Karthik has represented India in squash. He won gold alongside Karthik in the mixed event at the 2022 World Doubles Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. (firstpost.com, 05 Aug 2022; SportsDeskOnline, 26 Aug 2022) |