Top five greatest career achievements of Saurav Ghosal

Published at :April 23, 2024 at 5:32 PM

Modified at :April 23, 2024 at 5:33 PM

(Courtesy : Economic Times)

Ghoshal secured an impressive 10 PSA titles and 13 national titles in his career.

Certain names reverberate in our minds when we start discussing lesser-talked-about sports in the country. Saurav Ghosal is one such name, being one of India’s finest players in squash.

He has achieved numerous laurels in the sport. If we go by the statistics, Saurav has bagged nine medals at the Asian Games, which include two golds, two silvers and five bronze medals. At the Commonwealth Games, he secured three medals in his career, one silver and two bronze.

He has also showcased his class at the World Doubles Championships, where he has bagged three medals over the years, including one gold and two silvers. Saurav Ghosal’s accomplishments in squash are truly remarkable and he has brought immense pride to the nation through his outstanding performances on the international stage.

In this article, we will take a look at Ghoshal’s top five achievements:

5. First Indian player to get into top 10 rankings

One of Saurav Ghoshal’s biggest highlights remains his breakthrough into the top 10 rankings in the world. He remains the first and only Indian men’s squash player to break into the top 10 of the world rankings. He achieved this feat in April 2019 and also held the spot for the next six months.

4. Won first medal for India in squash at Asian Games

In 2006, Saurav became the first Indian player to win a medal in squash at the Asian Games. He reached the semifinals of the event and faced Malaysia’s Ong Beng Hee, who defeated him in three sets with scores of 6-9, 1-9 and 3-9.

Although he did not make it to the final, he received the bronze medal, sharing the podium with Pakistan’s Mohamad Azlan Iskandar. Additionally, he has won two more bronze medals and two silvers in the singles category at subsequent Asian Games

3. First Indian to win British Junior Open

The British Junior Open is considered the second-most prestigious prize in junior squash. To date, Indian players have secured the title only eight times: five by girls and three by boys.

Saurav Ghosal became the first Indian to win the title in 2004 by defeating Egypt’s Adel El Said in the final. This achievement remains a significant milestone for him at the junior level, especially since he turned professional in 2003.

2. First Indian to win singles medal at Commonwealth Games

Indian squash players have undoubtedly secured numerous medals at the Commonwealth Games over the years. However, no one had claimed a singles medal at the mega sporting event until Saurav achieved it in 2022 in Birmingham.

He won the bronze medal in the men’s singles category by defeating England’s James Willstrop with scores of 11-6, 11-1 and 11-4. Earlier, he lost his semifinal match against New Zealand’s Paul Coll, with sets ending at 9-11, 4-11 and 1-11.

1. Gold medal at World Doubles Championships

Ghoshal already had two medals from the World Doubles Championships, winning first in 2004 and again in 2016. However, in 2022, fortunes changed, along with the colour of the medal for the Indian squash icon.

Teaming up with Deepika Pallikal, another Indian squash star, he defeated the fourth-seeded pair of Adrian Waller and Alison Waters 11-6, 11-8 in the final at the Scotstoun Leisure Centre. This victory made them India’s first-ever World Doubles squash champions.

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