Indian squash’s torchbearer Saurav Ghosal retires from professional sport

One of India’s illustrious squash players, Saurav Ghosal retired from competitive sport on Monday. The former World No. 10 took to social media to announce his decision to step away from professional squash after dominating in a career that lasted more than two decades. He, however, made it clear that he would continue to play for the country.

The Kolkata-based player has won 10 Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles, with his last coming at the Malaysian Open Squash Championship in 2021.

In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Ghosal said he never imagined a professional career of 22 years when he took up the sport. “I started my journey on @psaworldtour 22 years ago. At the time, I never thought in my wildest dreams, I would play professional squash for so long. As I travelled across the world, playing on some of the biggest stages our wonderful sport offered, I thought it would never come to an end. But, there’s always an end point. I am overwhelmed with emotions as I write this message. This sport has been my passion, my livelihood, and my identity for so many years. So, with a heart filled with pride and a tinge of sadness, I announce my retirement from the PSA,” he wrote.

Elaborating on how the sport shaped him as a person, Ghosal said he hoped he always conducted himself with dignity and played the sport in the right spirit. “These past 2 decades have shaped me as a person, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunities I have had. I hope I have conducted myself with dignity and played the sport ‘the right way’. I wouldn’t have made it this far without my grandparents, my Dad, my wife and the rest of my loving family. Thank you for making me the person I am,” he added.

Thanking his family, coaches, the sports associations and the fans for their support in his career, Ghosal said he would continue to play for India. “I hope this is not me saying goodbye altogether from competitive squash. I would like to play for India a little while longer. Hopefully, there’s some fight left in me, and I can achieve a bit more for my country,” he concluded.

Out of the 18 PSA Tour finals he had taken part in, Ghosal triumphed in 10. He won 281 of his 511 matches on the PSA tour and led India to gold medal-winning events at the Asian Games in 2014 and 2022.

Ghosal partnered with Dipika Pallikal Karthik, and they won the gold medal at the 2022 WSF World Doubles Squash Championships.

He also made his mark at the Commonwealth Games when he became the first Indian male player to win a medal in the men’s singles category. He won the silver medal and bronze medal in mixed doubles and singles events, respectively, at the Gold Coast and Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Ghosal also has 13 national titles under his belt, making him one of the most successful squash players the country has produced.