Squash: 65 entries from J&K raise eyebrows at Nationals

MUMBAI: The 73rd Senior National Squash Championships which commenced on Tuesday at the courts of Otters Club has attracted about 440 players from all over India, across various categories. And, a casual glance at the draws of this tournament would force you into taking a second look. The abbreviation on the list 'JK' appears not once, not twice, but 65 times! Jammu & Kashmir has the largest contingent at the event.While the managing committee sees this as a form of increased participation, which it most certainly is; onlookers, match officials, and players feel that there is more to this phenomenon than meets the eye.
During the qualifying rounds on Tuesday, many of the J&K players appeared to be unprepared, extremely nervous and unsure of themselves. While their effort and enthusiasm was commendable, the same certainly could not be said about the quality of their game.
"Squash is an extremely gruelling sport and Kashmiri players are not being able to meet its physical and mental demands," said a match official. Numerous players failed to score more than a solitary point over the span of their games, with 0-11,1-11,1-11being a common scoreline for the J&K contingent.
India's national coach Cyrus Poncha had this to say: "Of course it seems like there is more to it, but as far as we're concerned, participation is a great sign, it tells us that someone is taking interest. We would ideally want better standards, but participation will eventually take us there."
There's speculation that many players have opted to take part in the nationals simply to boost their chances of securing entry into prominent colleges through sports quotas, but no official was willing to comment on this.
Nandrajog off to good start
Meanwhile, Gaurav Nandrajog of Delhi fashioned a convincing win in the men's second qualifying round. Nandrajog, runner-up in the 2006 nationals, warmed up for sterner tests ahead when he eased past upcoming Mumbai junior Shreyas Mehta of NSCI 11-2, 11-2, 11-2. In another close second round tie, Hiteshwar Singh Riar of Chandigarh prevailed over Ashray Ohri of Telangana 11-7, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4. Vikas Lath of Maharashtra and Rishabh Agarwal of West Bengal also snatched deciders, while Deva Ram Choudhary of Rajasthan and Raunak Advani of Maharashtra won in four tight games.