The India-Pakistan rivalry is always highly anticipated in any sport, and the standout performers in these clashes often become fan favorites. The stakes were particularly high in Hangzhou when the Indian Men’s Squash team faced their arch-rivals in the gold-medal match. This was especially significant as they had lost to Pakistan a few days earlier. The match was tied at 1-1 after two games, and it all came down to Abhay Singh, the 25-year-old from Chennai, in the decisive match. After a closely contested battle with his Pakistani counterpart, the third game went down to the wire, and Abhay secured the winning point to win gold for India.
Following the match, Abhay’s first reaction, which garnered significant public attention, was when he spoke with the writer. In that conversation, he refused to label the match against Pakistan as ‘special’ and emphasised that India should have won the match much earlier because they believed they were the superior team. Looking back on that experience provides an opportunity to gain better insight into the state of the sport and its future, particularly in view of squash’s inclusion in the LA28 Olympics.
Here are the excerpts from the conversation:
Rohan: Great to get back on a chat with you. Let’s go back a bit to Hangzhou. Walk us through those moments. How does it feel now looking back at the performance? Talk about the reception you got on returning from Hangzhou, and how life has changed since then?
Abhay: Yeah! Great, great, great memories. Memories that will live on with us for a lifetime. At least for me, it was even more special because I was the one who sealed the gold. The reception was great. There were a lot of people at the airport, and many were waiting when I reached home. It was beautiful. Now looking back at the pictures and videos, it feels great and these are beautiful memories that I can share with my family and friends.
Rohan: Let’s take your reaction on the big announcement we had recently. The inclusion of Squash in LA28. How it might change the scenario for Indian squash?
Abhay: Yes, I think a lot of people were disappointed with the Olympic bids and us not getting in, but now finally it has happened and it is a big occasion for our sport. Hopefully, in the next few months or a year or so, I can see the changes coming. Because squash isn’t in the next Olympics, we might not see that attention yet, but once the Paris Olympics is done, we will definitely see the changes coming with the aim of taking Indian squash to an Olympic medal. But honestly, I am not thinking too much of it. Currently my focus is breaking into the top 50 in the PSA rankings. And obviously, 2026 is the big year before Los Angeles, and we’ll go for [Asian Games] gold again.
Rohan: Coming to the Indian scenario, how is the structure of competitions in the country and what about the player pool? What is the scope of the sport in India? Give us a sense of the entire squash culture in the country.
Abhay: The thing with Indian squash is that there’s always been a strong four, and after that, the quality drops a little. I don’t think it has anything to do with the structure of the sport in the country. It’s just that these top four are so strong that it makes it difficult for someone to break in the team coming from below. For me, I can tell you, because I just broke into the team last year when I was 23, and that is also pretty late because the other guys – Harry [Harinder Pal Sandhu], Mahesh [Mangaonkar], Saurav [Ghosal] – are all in the team since they were 16 or 17. In terms of the next-gen squash players in India, there are again three or four good players, in both the men’s and women’s teams. Special mention to Anahat [Singh]. Many people are inspired by her and what she is doing at 15.
Rohan: To take the sport forward, what is the tournament structure you reckon we should have?
Abhay: So, to briefly answer this, India doesn’t host enough PSA tournaments. Yes, the federation hosts good national-level tournaments but it doesn’t help any of the top players like me or Saurav or Ramit. I think we need to have a lot of squash tournaments like 30,000 dollars or more – platinum events or World Championship events. One of the special things about squash is that a squash court can be set up anywhere in the world. I’ve absolutely loved watching squash in front of the pyramids and the Eiffel Tower, and my dream is to play in front of the Taj Mahal.
Rohan: What is the sponsorship structure in squash? After the Asian Games success, has anything changed?
Abhay: (Laughs) Nothing much has changed, but the biggest and most prestigious thing for me is that now I get to call myself an Asian Games gold medallist. In terms of sponsorships, a lot of people did the talking but no one has really come forward. Some sports management companies came forward but nothing concrete came out as yet. But whoever comes forward will be given good recognition, and I hope someone really does.
Rohan: Thoughts on any franchise squash tournament? Do you think it’ll be a viable project for investment purposes? Do we have the required infrastructure and pool?
Abhay: Yes, a franchise tournament would be great, but here’s the problem. There are only about eight decent men’s squash players in the country, and probably five in the women’s squad. So, I don’t think it’ll be very attractive. So, to make it an attractive proposition for the investors, something like a mixed team event with top players from India playing against each other could be done.
Rohan: Give us a sense of the Indian squad. How is the team chemistry?
Abhay: Well, I have been with the team for only two events and it has been great. What really stood out was after the Pakistan match that we lost in the group stages. Everyone backed each other and we talked it through. And when we won the final, we celebrated together. Our campaign in China showed what having a good team chemistry can do.
Rohan: A few words on Saurav Ghosal? How has he inspired the next generation?
Abhay: Ah! On Saurav, I don’t need to say much. He has been the India nN.1 for the longest time. And, of course, he has inspired kids through his whole career and is a great figure to look up to. I have had the pleasure of being on the same team as him, and it has been a very good experience for me.
Rohan: What’s next for Abhay Singh?
Abhay: I’m back on tour from Doha for the QSF4 Open, and then in November, we have the National Games. We have the National Championships, and then we’ll travel to New Zealand for the NZ Open and then the World Championships. So, a busy few months ahead of us. The Asian Games was just the start of the season, and what a start it was!
Rohan: How is Abhay Singh outside the squash court? I know you support Manchester United, and that has garnered much traction on the internet. What else? What’s your favourite pastime?
Abhay: Yes, I think the whole Manchester United thing became so funny with the comments on social media. Football is my favourite sport, even above squash. I made a promise that I wouldn’t play football the day I got selected for the Commonwealth Games, and would return to the football pitch after the Asian Games was over. So, I was pretty sad that the Asian Games got postponed by a year. On returning back home, I was pretty excited to be able to play five-a-side football with my friends. Other than football, I have a deep love and interest in coffee. I am a big coffee connoisseur. I consume a lot of coffee. I watch a lot of coffee content and study it. I am also a big-time gamer, and I spend a lot of time on my PlayStation. I play mainly FIFA. It helps that I am single, because I had issues with playing too much of video games (laughs).
EXCLUSIVE 🚨
This is for my country…will celebrate by watching Manchester United’s match tonight- Abhay Singh after India’s historic Gold win against Pakistan in Squash.@abhaysinghk98 @Wowmomo4u @ManUtd #AsianGames2022 #IndiaAtAsianGames #Squash pic.twitter.com/JQbogFlkW0
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) September 30, 2023
Rohan: So, coffee and video games help you to deal with pressure? And in such a high-intensity game like squash, what do you do to keep yourself mentally fit?
Abhay: Yes! To keep myself mentally fit or healthy, it’s the same. Gaming, coffee, chill music, spending time with my dog, late night drives, football, both playing and watching. Gaming is my escape, coffee is my drug, and both together I feel invincible!
Rohan: My last one for the day. Captain Abhay Singh to lead India in LA28?
Abhay: Yes. I think this is something you can pin or you can keep. I’ll be there in LA. That’s the way I always think, and I don’t know whether my karma will take me there. But my mindset, the way I grind, the sacrifices I make will always align to that goal. That’s the way I think.