Viransh Shah
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The year 2025 has been uncertain for the sporting landscape, with numerous jinxes being shattered across sports and leagues.
On December 14, the trend continued at Express Avenue Mall in Chennai as the Indian mixed squash team claimed its maiden Squash World Cup, following a 3-0 trouncing of top seeds Hong Kong, China, in the final.
Flashback to 2023, when the team led by Saurav Ghosal faced disappointment after a 3-0 drubbing by Malaysia in the semi-final, though it still marked India’s best-ever finish with a third place. However, the quartet of Abhay Singh, Joshna Chinappa, Velavan Senthilkumar, and Anahat Singh went up a notch this time, blazing all guns to clinch the elusive title that was instituted in 1996.
“We have been pretty consistent for many years, and the World Cup win was eventually going to happen at some point. I am sure we will win at other big championships as (Indian) squash has been performing well on big platforms for the last few years,” the 39-year-old veteran Joshna told Lokmat Times in an exclusive interview.
“Two years ago, when we won the bronze, I wasn’t sure if I would still be playing. Still being here and playing for India really feels special. Of course, winning the gold was even more special,” she added.
The 19-time national champion Joshna returned to the PSA circuit in May this year after a knee surgery, and five months later, she went on to win the Japan Open in October - her 11th PSA title - to claim the second women’s spot behind the rising prodigy and India No.1 Anahat.
Nonetheless, national team coach Harinder Pal Sandhu credited the exposure gained by young players like Anahat, Velavan, and Abhay on the PSA World Tour for helping India become the first Asian team to lift the World Cup.
“This team was a mixture of young blood and experience. Abhay, Vela, Anahat, and Joshna are the best players we have representing India,” Harinder said.
“Obviously, they are young, but they also have experience because they have been competing on the PSA circuit and have played a lot of pressure matches. All that experience came in handy at the World Cup,” he added.
Local lad Velavan, who made his debut in the tournament, played a significant role in India’s upset over two-time world champions Egypt in the semi-final. The 27-year-old rallied past world No. 96 Ibrahim Elkabbani 3-0 (7-1, 7-3, 7-6) in the opening match to give the team a flying start, as the African nation was eventually blanked 3-0.
“I am really happy I could do this in front of my friends and family. This gives me a lot of confidence and motivation to perform well in the future,” Velavan said.