"They have courts, but not in good condition" - Ravindu Laksiri feels there is no ideal squash infrastructure in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan male professional squash player Ravindu Laksiri has stated that there is no proper infrastructure for the sport in Sri Lanka. Although there are courts, they are not in good condition, and there is not even a single glass court in the entire country.
Laksiri had a walkover win declared for him after his opponent Rahul Bhatia couldn’t turn up within the given time in the men’s final of the HCL Squash Tour to lift the title.
“You have a lot of academies in Sri Lanka. Actually, they have courts, but not in good condition. They have no glass courts in Sri Lanka. We have a big challenge (getting accustomed to glass courts) when we go to other countries,” he was quoted as saying by the Sportstar.
Notably, this was Laksiri’s second PSA Challenger title in four competitions in India in 2024. Although he suffered defeats in the finals of the Hamdard Squashters Northern Slam in New Delhi and the Poona Club Open in Pune, he bagged consecutive title wins in Indore and Chennai.
“Actually, I saw that a lot of Indian Junior players played very well. For instance, I played one of the top players in the U15 category (Lokesh Subramani) in the second round. I think compared to Sri Lanka, there are more good players in India,” he added.
“Squash is very popular in Colombo and Kandy” - Ravindu Laksiri
Ravindu Laksiri is one of the top players representing Sri Lanka in the sport as he has won 11 national singles titles since 2013.
He further emphasized that there are currently seven PSA circuit players in the country alongside a decent player pool especially in Colombo.
“Squash is very popular in Colombo and Kandy. They have good players in the Colombo area. They have a lot of players in the U9 till U19 age groups. The army and the Navy also have a lot of players,” the Sri Lankan said.
During the peak financial crisis in Sri Lanka, the national squad team had to reside and train at an army camp for a month leading up to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
It’s worth noting that Laksiri is an HR executive with Brandix, an apparel manufacturing firm based out of Sri Lanka. Additionally, his employer sponsors him to compete in PSA tournaments; without a dedicated coach, he keeps learning through playing.