Indian squash star Saurav Ghosal, 37, who announced his retirement from the professional circuit on Monday, revealed his preferred career choice had he not been an athlete.
Ghosal, who remains the only man from India to reach the World’s Top 10, achieving the career-high ranking in April 2019, is a self-proclaimed foodie. When we asked him what he would have loved to be if not an athlete, he told www.mid-day.com: “I think if I didn’t play squash, I would have played some sport. But I would have absolutely loved to be a food critic because I am a foodie. I like to go to restaurants. That’s [food, restaurants] the first thing I look up to when I go play a tournament in any city across the globe.”
Any favourites in Mumbai? “I was in Mumbai recently and went to , Bastian and Americano and all three were brilliant. Bombay has some top, top restaurants.”
Meanwhile, with the workload of playing the pro circuit off his shoulders, Kolkata-based Ghosal wants to spend more time with his family.
“I would get to stay in India for two-three months cumulatively. I think being here and spending time with my family is what I missed out on. That’s the priority now. From the past seven-eight years, I made sure we go on a holiday at least once a year, especially during the summers. But this year, we got to do a bit more than one [trip]. Diya [wife] and I pick a new destination each year, but the one constant which we both can travel to anytime has to be . It has a good vibe, amazing food, some nice bakeries [which I love], art, museums and the West End [in terms of plays],” said Ghosal, who loves everything at home to be neat and clean.
Ghosal teamed up with Dipika Pallikal Karthik to win gold for India in the mixed event at the 2022 WSF World Doubles Squash Championships. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Dipika and Ghosal won silver in the mixed doubles in , Australia and four years later, a bronze in Birmingham.
When asked about a quality he admires of his mixed doubles partner Dipika and her sister Diya, who happens to be his wife, Ghosal remarked: “I think they are both very different to begin with. But Dipika is the one who is very, very good at going after what she wants. She is mentally very strong in doing that. That shows on-court as well. Playing with her is an absolute pleasure and my wife, on the other hand, is someone who is unbelievable in taking care of people and is a giver. She is magnanimous and is ready to sacrifice things for people. I would be happy to have a little bit of that myself and do that the best I can for others.”
