Squash racket. (Getty Images)

CHENNAI: The Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) has decided that Indian players will not be participating in the Women’s World Team Championship scheduled to take place in Malaysia from December 15-20.
Countries have to register for the tournament by August 15, but India will not be doing so after consulting the top players including world No. 10 Joshana Chinappa.
According to SRFI secretary-general Cyrus Poncha, the top players felt that they won’t have enough preparation time and match readiness to take part in the event. The players that are based out of Chennai, where the Indian Squash Academy is situated, started training only on Monday after the TN government recently gave permission for the reopening of sports academies and stadiums. Poncha added that it was too early for them to commit to participating in an event that is scheduled in December.
Joshana, meanwhile, said that the fact that SRFI had to register for the event by August 15 was a bigger factor in the decision. While the SRFI did ask the World Squash Federation (WSF) for an extension to the deadline, it wasn’t given.
“The issue was more that the closing date was coming up. And ideally, I would have preferred if we could have taken the call a bit later. But the federation was told to make a choice in the next 10-12 days. That’s a bit too soon especially when flights are not operating and nothing is certain. The federation felt it was not worth entering right now. We have just started training. I am happy to play for India anytime, but I let the federation decide what is best for us,” Joshana told TOI on Monday.
There is also a sense of apprehension among the players about travelling and boarding flights in the current circumstances when the world is suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We will obviously want to have clarity on flights and quarantine rules. Even if we take a flight out of India to play somewhere, I want to be able to return home safely no matter what. I would want all the uncertainty regarding flights and returning home to be sorted out before I commit to taking a flight anywhere. Once there are proper guidelines on how international travel will be, only then can I decide,” she explained.
Poncha pointed out that there remained a possibility of the event itself being cancelled altogether. “There are no tournaments lined up in the near future. So, it could be that this tournament might be cancelled altogether too,” Poncha said.