Rahul NareshA sport that is often overlooked in a country like India, squash continues to produce a significant number of players who end up representing the country on an international stage. It is imperative to mention that squash also finds a place in the list of sports in the Commonwealth Games. Celebrating the sport, the following is a list of the top 10 squash players in India.
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Saurav Ghosal
The 35-year-old is considered as one of the best Indian squash players out there. Although it would appear that Ghosal is past his prime, which came during the 2018-19 campaign, he has left his impression in the sport. He was the first Indian in the 2018-19 campaign to make the top 10 of the world and was also the first Indian in 2013 to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship.
Mahesh Mangaonkar
Up next is the 27-year-old from Mumbai. It is possible that Mangaonkar’s best years are yet to come, but he achieved his best world ranking of #44 way back in 2015. Regarded as one of the best squash players that India has produced, it is safe to say that Mangaonkar has quite some time left in the sport before he hangs his boots.
Vikram Malhotra
Another experienced campaigner on the list is Vikram Malhotra. Currently seventy-first in the world, Malhotra enjoyed some of his best years in the sport in 2019 and 2020 when he achieved a career-best world ranking of #43. Malhotra impressed when he joined the PSA World Tour by winning the tournament the same year he debuted (2015).
Abhishek Pradhan
Since his debut back in 2009, Pradhan has picked up the pace and improved his performances in the last three years. During this time, the man from Mumbai also achieved his best world ranking of #132. Pradhan, still aged only 28, has a lot left to offer to the sport and will surely be looking to achieve bigger things in the years to come.
Ramit Tandon
Ramit Tandon, aged 29, seems to be picking up the pace over the last three years, during which he achieved his best-ever world rank of #40. Tandon made his PSA World Tour debut way back in 2009 and has achieved some of his finest title wins in the last few years. His wins include the Abu Dhabi Open title and the Seattle Open title in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
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Harinder Pal Sandhu
A relatively consistent squash player, Harinder Pal Sandhu has performed evenly since his debut in the PSL. He kicked off brilliantly by winning two titles in India and followed a longish wait for about five years until his next title came through. However, he marked his best world rank in 2018, after which he has fallen off the rails. The 30-year-old is currently sitting at a world ranking of #432 and would love to get back to winning ways.
Aditya Jagtap
29-year-old Aditya Jagtap is next on the list for the best squash players in India. The Maharashtra-born player currently stands to be eighty-second in the world. He has, for a while, hovered around the 60-rank mark and recently has experienced further drop. His greatest successes came in the Bourbon Trail events and the City View Squash Open in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Abhishek Agarwal
One of the youngest players on this list, Abhishek Agarwal currently stands at a world ranking of #174. One of the most recent debuts in the PSA World Tour of all the players on this list came from Agarwal in 2018. Only 27, he still has quite a long road ahead and will be looking to impress those watching him.
Abhay Singh
The second-youngest player on this list, and still only breaking onto the scene, is Abhay Singh. Only 23 as of now, the youngster has come a long way since his debut in the PSL World Tour back in 2015. He hit his best patch of form in 2019, which led him to his best world ranking of #103. Still very young, Singh will surely improve, and the best of him is yet to come.
Yash Fadte
The final player on this list and the youngest of the lot is Yash Fadte. Aged only 20, Fadte has well and truly burst onto the scene. The youngster has stacked up several titles at the junior level in India, also winning the U19 junior open in France. In the years to come, Fadte will be looking to make an impression at the senior level and continue his success from the junior level.
