Squash World Cup | Squash World Cup: India will start campaign against Hong Kong, Ghosal said – we have a good chance

ANI Photo Chennai. Experienced Sourav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa will spearhead the Indian challenge at the fourth Squash World Cup, starting here on Tuesday, with the hosts having a chance of winning the gold medal in the mixed team event. Ghosal and Joshna are part of a four-member Indian team that will take on Hong Kong, China, South Africa and Japan in Pool B in the league stage. The other two members of the host team are Abhay Singh and Tanvi Khanna. India will open their campaign against Hong Kong in the evening session on the first day of the tournament. Ghosal said, “The World Cup tournament is coming back after 12 years with a new format, both in terms of team composition and scoring. This is an initiative by WSF and SRFI to do something new for the sport. I really hope it works well and it becomes an important fixture in the world sporting calendar.” Ghosal said, “We have a good chance but we are taking it one match at a time. Let’s hope we can execute our plans well and win each match.” #WATCH | “The World Cup is coming back after twelve years of the tournament with a new format, both in terms of the team composition as well as the scoring. It’s an initiative by the WSF and SRFI to kind of innovate for the sport. I really hope that it works out well and it… pic.twitter.com/GFdn9zUuBD — ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2023 Australian women’s squash player Jess Turnbull said about the Squash World Cup, “It is exciting. This is a completely new phenomenon. I think the World Cup is a great idea and I think we should do more of it. The gender equality is fantastic with two men and two women. India has been blessed with some wonderful women athletes and squash players. So it’s lovely to see them celebrated.” #WATCH | “It’s exciting. It’s a brand-new event. I think a World Cup is an excellent idea and I think we should do more of it. Having gender parity with two men and two women is fantastic. India has got some fantastic female athletes and squash players. So it’s lovely to see them… pic.twitter.com/BLQcEpCZc8 — ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2023 The tournament will be held at the all-glass show court at Express Avenue Mall. Teams from Egypt, Australia, Malaysia and Colombia are also participating in the tournament. The last tournament of the World Cup was also held in Chennai in 2011. With the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals to be held in Cairo from June 20, top players have decided not to take part in the World Cup. The second seeded Indian team is expected to face the toughest challenge from top seeds Egypt. India’s toughest challenge in the group stage is likely to come from Japan, whose team boasts of world number 18 female player Satomi Watanabe, apart from male players like Runosuke Tsukue and Tomotoke Endo. Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin will inaugurate the tournament on Monday evening. According to the new format of the tournament, each match will be best of five games and each game will be worth seven points (normally 11 points). The top two teams from each pool will advance to the semi-finals. The final will be played on June 17. The groups are as follows: Pool A: Egypt, Australia, Colombia and Malaysia. Pool B: India, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong and China. (with agency inputs)