New Delhi, March 21 – Former India No. 1 Saurav Ghosal has offered Anahat Singh, the teenage sensation, a realistic perspective, stating that reaching the top 10 should be considered a "minimum requirement," while also advocating for a structural overhaul of men's and women's squash to foster wider participation and develop India's talent pool.
Ghosal emphasized that Anahat possesses a complete game and the right environment to succeed at the highest level.
"Anahat is definitely exceptional. She has a brilliant game and the right support system to excel," he said.
He highlighted her tactical awareness and composure, saying, "She has the skill and understanding of the game, including the ability to vary her strategy, which is a unique advantage. She also has the composure to execute these variations."
Ghosal pointed to the strong support system around her, including former World No. 1 Grégory Gaultier, experienced coach Stéphane Galifi, and himself, as a key factor in her development.
"She has Grégory Gaultier, who is a former world number one and champion, coaching her. Stéphane Galifi is a top player from before, who has been training her in India. I mentor her, so she has the perfect combination. You can't get better than this," he said.
He set clear expectations, while also cautioning against undue pressure on the young player, stressing the importance of enjoyment in achieving long-term success.
"If she continues to learn, focus, and work hard, she has a good chance of staying in the top 10 for a significant period. She could even surpass that. However, I believe that reaching the top 10 is a minimum goal. If she doesn't achieve that, something needs to be addressed. With Anahat, we shouldn't put too much pressure on her. She enjoys playing. That's important for her throughout her career," he said.
Turning to the broader Indian landscape, Ghosal said that while the men's game shows encouraging signs, depth remains a concern, and that stronger competition within the country is needed to push elite players further.
"In terms of the boys, we have four players in the top 50, which is a positive sign. We need to create more opportunities for young players to compete and develop their skills," he noted.
He suggested introducing squash widely in public schools in India.
"Because you can train with these players daily. And Egypt has that. The world number one plays with the world number three, and three plays with the five, which makes everyone better. I would work with the Indian sports ministry and the education ministry to find a way to get every single public school kid to try squash at some point in their early school life, up to the age of 12 or 13, and every single one should try it," he said.
He believes that such an approach could unlock hidden talent and create a pipeline of champions, adding that existing infrastructure, including schools like Kendriya Vidyalaya, could be leveraged as hubs to expand access.
"And I'm pretty sure that if we have the numbers trying it, we will have champions coming out. If we have champions, it'll just breed more interest in the game, parents will get involved, thinking that, oh, we can become world champions or Olympic champions, and things like that. There are certain public schools, like Kendriya Vidyalaya, that actually do have squash courts in them already. So obviously that's an easy fix. We should kind of almost like make each of these schools as satellite centres and get all the other schools in the nearby vicinity to come play it," Ghosal explained.
Reflecting on his own journey, Ghosal also spoke about how his understanding of success has evolved over time, moving beyond a win-loss definition. He cited his experience at the 2022 Asian Games as a turning point in perspective, after narrowly missing out on an individual gold medal.
"When I was growing up, everything, in terms of the definition of success, was basically defined by whether I won or lost. You either win or you lose. In the immediate aftermath, you feel like it's all a waste, specifically like the last 12 months where everything was geared towards the Asian Games, and it's come to nothing," he said.
However, he added that reflection brought a deeper understanding of purpose.
"What I've come to realise is that at the end of the day, we do this because we love it. Would I, in retrospect, replace the time I spent on the squash court with something else, which would have made me happier? The answer was no," he said.
Summing up his evolved outlook, Ghosal said fulfilment comes from the journey rather than just results. At the same time, he maintained that the hunger to win remains essential.
“If the answer to that question is no, and you've enjoyed that time, then you have basically fulfilled your life in that time period, which has been my definition of success. Of course, you do all this, you're killing yourself, you want to win, and you should have a little bit of a distaste for losing, but that should be more of an outcome,” he said.