Indian squash star Saurav Ghosal scripted historical past after he clinched the elusive bronze medal within the males’s singles on the 2022 Commonwealth Games, beating residence favorite James Willstrop 3-0 (11-6, 11-1, 11-4) within the playoff match, right here on Wednesday.
This was India’s first ever singles squash medal within the Commonwealth Games historical past in each males’s or ladies’s class.
India have now received solely 4 medals in squash on the CWG. Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa received gold in ladies’s doubles in 2014 and a silver in 2018. Pallikal additionally received the blended doubles silver with Ghosal in the identical 12 months.
The 35-year-old Ghosal outplayed Willstrop, the CWG 2018 gold-medallist, within the opening recreation, stretching each sinew to achieve the Englishman’s trademark drops and responding with a number of of his personal to win the sport.
In the second recreation, Willstrop, in his bid to get again to parity, took dangers which didn’t come off and the veteran Indian comfortably took the sport.
With the gang cheering each transfer of Willstrop, Ghosal confirmed no stress as he caught to his plans within the third recreation, extending the rallies and sustaining composure to win the match in straight video games and fulfil a long-standing dream.
Meanwhile, the pair of Joshna Chinappa/Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu superior to the blended doubles spherical of 16 after beating Sri Lankan pair Yeheni Kuruppu/Ravindu Laksiri 2-1 (8-11, 11-4, 11-3). They will now face Australia’s Donna Lobban and Cameron Pilley.
On the opposite hand, Sunayna Kuruvilla received the plate remaining within the ladies’s singles after beating Guyana’s Mary Fung-A-Fat 3-0 (11-7, 13-11, 11-2).
Saurav Ghosal shall be again in motion in squash at CWG 2022 on Thursday, partnering Dipika Pallikal within the blended doubles whereas Anahat Singh will associate Sunayna Kuruvilla within the ladies’s doubles.
