The Best of Raju

The early rounds of the tournament were marred by a shocking one-day boycott by seven Services players on grounds of "illness", but it is well known that this action was taken because the Services contingent was unhappy with the draw. They felt that their No. 1 Capt. Manchanda (No. 4 seed) should have been seeded above Fali Madon (No- 3 seed) and that last year's quarter-finalist Lt. A. N. Misra should have been seeded. It is a fact that Manchanda had defeated Madon in their last encounter, but that was way back in last February. Neither Manchanda nor Misra had participated in any open tournaments on the domestic circuit during the present season, and hence their present form was unknown. There is very little to choose between Madon, Manchanda and Soli Colah and it would not have been a total surprise if Colah was seeded No. 3. What was really intriguing is that the draw was announced four days before the tournament began and the Services players took their action only after all of them had played their first round matches. The tournament organisers sportingly reinstated the Services players in the draw on the following day, even though it meant upsetting the tournament schedule.

Obviously the Services squad returned to the fray under instructions from higher authorities. The first two rounds saw only a few good matches a remarkable recovery by Ramesh Nayak (No. 6 seed) against Nawin Deo, winning after being two games down and trailing 0-6 in the third; Anil Nayar having to stretch to beat a gallant Shiv Karan Singh and Gajendar Singh dropping a game to Jimmy Tata. 

Another noticeable result in the 2nd round was Lt. A. N. Misra's shocking display while losing to Adriain Karnik without winning a single point in a match which Misra should have easily won. Upset at not having been seeded, Misra seemed to throw away his match a most disgusting and unsporting act. The pre quarter finals saw Soli Colah (No. 5 seed) end Capt Manchanda drop a game apiece to Capt Swaminathan and Lt. Yadav respectively, whilst all the other seeds won easily. 
In the quarter-finals, 19-year-old Gajendar Singh became the only player to take a game of Anil Nayar. Probably Nayar did relax a bit in this match, but there is no doubt that the fit and agile Gajendar played magnificently, scoring well with his 'nick' shots. Nikhilesh Senapati comfortably beat 18-year-old Junior National champ, Anant Nayak. Nayak could certainly have played better, but he seemed to crack under pressure as he lost a commanding 8-1 lead in the second game and the match without scoring another point. 

The other two quarter-finals were thrilling affairs. Fali Madon just about scraped past Ramesh Nayak in a 100-minute match, while Manchanda edged out Colah, taking about the same time. The Madon-Nayak match was one based on retrieving, with most of the points being scored on the opponent's mistakes with experience telling in the end. Manchanda, playing a naggingly consistent game, recovered from a 1-2 deficit to down the erratic Colah, who seemed to run out of steam in the final game. Keeping himself very cool and calm under pressure, Manchanda played a very crafty game, testing Colah's patience with a number of slow deep lobs and mixing them with some superb low drops. 
The Senapati- Madon semi-final was definitely a see-saw tussle. Senapati seemed to be sitting pretty with a 9-6, 7-0 lead but in a matter of minutes, Madon had leveled the scores. An even battle continued and so it reached the decider. Madon looked well set to reach the final when he was leading 7-2, but Senapati totally changed his game into a slow and steady one and reeled off seven points in one service hand to qualify for the final for the third year in uccession. Contrastingly, the other semifinal was a one horse race Nayak totally outclassing Manchanda inside 35 minutes. Much too quick for his opponent, Nayar often left Manchanda stranded with some deceptive boast and drop shots. Such was his dominance that Nayar could afford to relax in the first and, third games, making Manchanda run to all possible corners of the court. 
Much was expected of the Nayar- Senapati final, but it turned out to be a big let down. Nayar, despite conceding 10 years to his 21-year-old opponent, was clearly in a class of his own and never allowed Senapati to settle down. Senapati conceded a lot of negative points, and though he did vary the pace of his game, it was to no avail. Nayar's lightning reflexes and amazing stroke-play often had the packed audience on its feet. 

Squash is not too popular among women in India there being only 16 entries in this event, end of these three players were head and shoulders above the rest Nandini Kumari, Bhuwaneshwari Kumari and Rupa Senapati. Bhuwaneshwari Kumari downed Rupa 3-1 in the semi-finals and then trounced Nandini in the final, thus reversing the result of last year's final. Nandini seemed to he psychologically affected by a nasty hit she suffered below her eye, during her semifinals tie. Young Bhuwaneshwari was much quicker and a harder hitter of the ball than all her opponents and fully deserved her victory. 

Shyamlal Verma (CME), Poona, extended his hold on the professionals title, running it for the eleventh time. In a one sided final, he thrashed Panchum Singh. Over the years Shyamlal has slowed down considerably, but for a man in his mid-forties he plays a tremendous game. His deceptive drops and amazing wrist work were a treat to watch. 
Judging from this tournament, squash is certainly a growing sport in India. However, owing to lack of coaching and facilities, the standard of the game has remained stagnant over the years. Three of the semi-finalists Manchanda, Nayar and Madon are in their early thirties, which is rather old for such a fast game. What we need are some public courts and some spectator courts, so that young players get a chance to play as well as watch the game. 

Murray Day, president of the International Squash Rackets Federation, was among the distinguished guests present at the finals. This was a fitting finale, probably the first ever to have been sponsored. Mercantile Bank, the sponsors, have certainly given the game a big boost, something which the game desperately needs!

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