Boosted by his showing at the Asian Junior Squash Championships 2019 in Macau, 17-year-old city player, Veer Chotrani, is looking forward to taking on rivals from across the world.
“I have faced the competition in Asia and look ahead to tackle world-level players,” said the third Indian to win the under-19 (U-19) boys title. Two others to bag the junior boys crown from the Asian Championships are Ravi Dixit and Velavan Senthilkumar. The Mumbai junior, ranked India No. 1 in the boys category, plans to train under famous coach David Palmer at Cornell University, U.S..
He has a track record to match the words. The son of former national men’s squash champion Manish Chotrani, Veer defeated top seed Siow Yee Xian (Malaysia) in the U-19 boys quarterfinal and Harris Qasim (Pakistan) in the semifinal before squashing fellow Indian and close friend, Yash Fadte, at the Macau final. Two weeks before the Asian events, the Mumbai boy participated in the Senior National Championships in Pune and reached the men’s semifinal before going down to highly-rated Mahesh Mangaonkar, the eventual champion. Mr. Mangaonkar is a pro, ranked 53rd in the world and India men’s No. 2.
The Pune Nationals was a learning experience for a teenager competing in the men’s field. “Playing against Mahesh made me realise that I have to improve,” he said, after a training session at Khar Gymkhana. On the Macau showing, Veer was surprised by his form. “I did not expect to win. The competition was so strong, I wasn’t even the favourite, but I beat top players.” Malaysia and Pakistan are strong squash nations, hence beating two players back to back was the highlight. “The quarterfinal against No. 1 (Xian) was harder than the final. I was 1-2 down, then fought back. Winning a nail-biting tie was encouraging.”
Being a father-son squash duo from the city comes with advantages and high expectations. Manish, an active player at 48 for whom hitting on the court is a daily fix, talked about Veer’s initiation. “From the time he was born, he has been at the squash court. When I became India No. 1, Veer was a year and a couple-of-months old and watching a squash game. It is in his blood; squash came naturally to him.” Chotrani Sr., crowned the India men champion at the Senior Nationals 2002 in Mumbai, said, “Right now, he will be going to Cornell University to train under David Palmer, former world No. 1. Veer wants to enter the pro circuit and win medals for the nation.”
For the city teen, competitive squash is about switching off and on. “I don’t take a lot of stress. I try to relax going into a tournament, watch movies or some other sport. I never think much about my opponent, but when I play the game I’m totally into it.”
