Velavan Senthilkumar and Rathika Seelan to lead the Indian contingent at 22nd Asian Team Squash Championships
Defending men’s national champion Velavan Senthilkumar and women’s semi-finalist Rathika Seelan will lead the Indian contingent at the upcoming 22nd Asian Team Squash Championships, scheduled to be held in Dalian, China from June 12 to 16.
The Indian men’s team comprises the National Games 2023 champion Abhay Singh, former National Games silver and bronze medallist Rahul Baitha, and Suraj Chand complete the line-up alongside Velavan Senthilkumar.
On the other hand, in the Indian women’s team, Tamil Nadu's R Pooja Arthi, Maharashtra’s Sunita Patel, and Delhi’s Janet Vidhi form the team alongside Rathika Seelan.
On May 10, Friday, the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) announced the squads after holding the selection trials at the Indian Squash & Triathlon Academy in Chennai.
Indian men’s squash team is the defending champion of the Asian Team Squash Championships
It’s important to note that India is the defending champion in the men's championships after securing their first title in the Asian Team Squash Championships 2022. India, Saurav Ghoshal, stunned Kuwait 2-0 to clinch the title in the final.
However, the men's squash team will not be without their experienced campaigner Saurav as he announced his retirement from the professional sport in April 2024. Importantly, the men’s team has two players from the previous edition while the women’s team has a completely new squad after finishing at the third spot in the 2022 edition.
Notably, in the previous edition held in 2022, the Indian women's team settled for the joint-third position with South Korea after defeating Malaysia in the semi-finals. Indian women's only title win came in the 2012 edition.
SRFI is focused on giving more chances to younger players keeping an eye on the Asian Games 2026 in Japan and the much-awaited Olympic debut of the sport in Los Angeles 2028. Remarkably, Indian players displayed exceptional performance at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China with the team clinching five medals.
A look at the Indian contingent for the upcoming Asian Team Squash Championships
Indian men’s squash team: Velavan Senthilkumar, Abhay Singh, Rahul Baitha, and Suraj Chand
Indian women’s squash team: Rathika Seelan, Pooja Arthi R, Sunita Patel, and Janet Vidhi