Squash
SRFI announces Indian squads for Asian Squash Team Championships
Velvan Senthilkumar and Abhay Singh will lead defending champions India in the men's section while Rathika will lead the women's team.
Velavan Senthilkumar (Source: Hong Kong Squash)
Reigning men's national champion Velavan Senthilkumar and women's semi-finalist Rathika Seelan will spearhead the Indian contingent at the 22nd Asian Team Squash Championships to be held in Dalian, China, from June 12-16.
The 2023 National Games champion Abhay Singh, Rahul Baitha, and Suraj Chand complete the men's line-up, while Pooja Arthi R, Sunita Patel, and Janet Vidhi form the rest of the women's squad, the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) announced on Friday after holding selection trials at the Indian Squash & Triathlon Academy in Chennai.
In the men's championships, India is the defending champions after securing their first title in 2022. Led by Saurav Ghoshal, India defeated Kuwait 2-0 in the final to secure the title.
However, the men's team will miss the services of the experienced campaigner after he announced his retirement from the professional circuit last month.
While the men's team has two players from the last edition, the women's team is completely new as compared to the one that finished third in 2022.
Indian women's team finished joint-third with South Korea after losing to Malaysia in the semi-finals. Indian women's won their only title in the 2012 edition.
Following India's spectacular performance at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou – with the team securing five medals in a competitive field – the SRFI is focused on promoting younger players with an eye on the 2026 Asian Games in Japan and the sport's much-awaited Olympic debut in Los Angeles 2028.
