India made history at the Ratmalana courts in Colombo by clinching the boys' title for the first time, beating defending champion Pakistan 2-1 in an exciting final of the Asian junior squash championship on Saturday night.
A packed gathering at the Sri Lankan Air Force base squash venue watched the Indian team, comprising Ramit Tandon, Abhishek Pradhan and Mahesh Mangaonkar (Vrishab Kotian did not play), outlast a tough Pakistan side. The day's hero was undoubtedly the Indian skipper and No. 1 player Ramit.
Ramit, who won his matches quite comfortably throughout the tournament, confirmed his growing stature by overcoming the strong Danish Atlas Khan, Pakistan's No. 1 player, in a gripping tussle that lasted 90 minutes, according to Indian National coach Cyrus Poncha.
ADVERTISEMENT
Amazing skill
In a match that went the distance, Ramit displayed amazing skill. He won the first game 11-7 comprehensively but slipped in the next (6-11). However, Ramit came back strongly in the third, winning by the narrowest of margins 11-9. Danish made it 2-2 by clinching the fourth game 11-8.
The decider was a rousing battle. Ramit led 9-6 at one stage, but Danish restored parity. The Indian won the next two points through drop shots.
ADVERTISEMENT
SRFI's consultant coach Maj. S. Maniam, who witnessed the match, said he had not seen the skill exhibited by Ramit in any other Indian player in the last decade.
Abhishek Pradhan had no answer to Nasir Iqbal in the next encounter and everything depended on Mahesh Mangaonkar in the deciding tie. The lanky Indian proved his superiority against Sadam-ul-Haq by winning in straight games.
“With this victory, India has won three of the four Asian junior titles at stake. Six months ago, Ravi Dixit and Dipika Pallikal bagged the boys' and girls' crowns,” said a jubilant Srivatsan Subramaniam, Secretary-General, SRFI.
“This certainly augurs well for Indian squash. All the hard work put in by the players with support from the federation and government is producing the desired results,” added Maj. Maniam while Poncha described it “as a dream come true.”
The results (finals): Boys: India bt Pakistan 2-1 (Ramit Tandon bt Danish Atlas Khan 11-7, 6-11,11-9, 8-11, 11-9; Abhishek Pradhan lost to Nasir Iqbal 4-11, 7-11, 3-11; Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Sadam-ul-Haq 11-7, 11-2, 11-6).
Girls: Hong Kong bt Malaysia 2-0.