Chennai:Â Dipika Pallikal, one of the country’s top squash players has enjoyed a good year in the sport by winning two silver medals in team events in the Commonwealth Games and an individual bronze in the Asian Games. Being the first Indian to break into the top-10 ranking, she is currently ranked 24th in the world.
The Chennaiite spoke to News Today and said that her ultimate dream is to be the World number one and is gearing up for the next season that will start by February, with the resolute aim of improving her rankings.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: What is your take on the current state of Squash in the country?
A: Currently we don’t have a proper system in place for the sport to thrive. Unfortunately, we don’t have a good Indian coach right now in the country. We need coaches from abroad who can bring in a lot to the table that is crucial for the sport’s success. So in India, whatever is happening in the sport for now, it’s not going well. After myself, Joshna and Sourav Goshal there is no other top player. So the federation has to think about what it is doing. The environment has to become much healthier. Hopefully, they can pick up the bricks and ensure that the sports start growing again.
Q: You were critical about India not having a foreign coach ever since Achraf El Karargui quit as India coach. Tell us about his tenure as the national coach.
A: The reason why squash picked up over the last few years is because of Achraf. During his tenure, we won prominent medals. Only if we win medals, the sport will grow, for that we needed a proper coach and Ashraf did the job in the right way. He has played a very vital role. Yes as individuals we are doing our training abroad with Sourav in USA and Joshna in the UK. But at the end of the day if we come back to the country we need to have a solid coach to support and unfortunately, we don’t have that now.
Q: Who do you think is the next big thing in squash in the country?
A: It’s very hard to answer that because, to be honest, I haven’t followed the junior circuit recently but if I have to answer that question, unfortunately, there is no one right now. Hopefully, things can pick up with the environment becoming much healthier and if the right people are there to support the juniors, then it can change.
Q: What is your thought about Sunayana Kuruvilla, your cousin who featured in the Indian team during the Asian games?
A: Sunayana is an exciting talent. She has just started her career and she is doing well. It’s a very competitive world out there for her and she is improving. She is getting trained in Egypt from Achraf and from whatever I have seen, she has improved a lot than how she was before. Hopefully, she keeps up with it and believe in herself and achieve her goals.
Q: What is your aim for the year 2019?
A: We had a very busy year. It has been a really hard year for me. Obviously, I will be training very hard and come fresh next year with the new season starting in February.