22nd Asian Squash Championship: Rathika, Senthilkumar to lead India
Sport
5 min read
The Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) has announced the Indian team, which will participate in the 22nd Asian Team Squash Championships, which will be held in Dalian, China, from 12 to 16 June 2024. The Indian men’s team is the current Asian Team Champion, having won the 2022 event in Cheongju, South Korea.
Velavan Senthilkumar will lead the Indian men’s team, and Rathika Seelan will lead the women's team. The Indian team is highly optimistic after its spectacular performance in the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games. India won five medals—two gold, one silver, and two bronze at the Hangzhou Asian games.
National Men’s and Women’s Team for the 2024 Asian Squash Championship
The Indian men’s team will be led by Velvan Senthilkumar, the 2024 Batch Open Challenger Squash tournament winner. The other team members are 2023 National Games champion Abhay Singh, Rahul Baitha, and Suraj Chand,
Abhay Singh was part of the Indian men’s team that won a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He also won a bronze medal in the same Asian Games in partnership with Anahat Singh in the mixed doubles event.
Rathika Seelan leads the women's team, which also includes 2023 National Games silver medallist Pooja Arthi R, Sunita Patel, and Janet Vidhi.
Many of the established Indian Squash players have not been selected by the Squash Federation of India as it wants to promote young players for the 2026 Asian Games to be hosted by Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Asian Team Squash Championship
The Asian Team Squash Championship is organised by the Asian Squash Federation in association with the Squash Federation of the host country.
The Asian Team Squash Championship is organised every two years.
The first men’s Asian Team Squash Championship was held in 1981 in Karachi, Pakistan and was won by Pakistan.
The first women’s Asian Team Squash Championship was held in 1986 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, along with the men’s team championship. Hong Kong won the first women’s Asian team championship.
Most Successful Team at the Asian Team Squash Championship
In the men’s section, Pakistan is the most successful team having won it 15 times. Malaysia has won it three times, and India once in 2022.
The most successful team in the women's section has been the Malaysian, having won the title 10 times. The Indian women's team won the title only once, in 2012.
Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI)
The British introduced squash to India over two hundred years ago. To govern and promote the sport in India, the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) was set up.
The Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) is recognised by the government of India and is a member of the World Squash Federation and the Asian Squash Federation.
Headquarters: Chennai
President: Debendranath Sarangi
