The ‘racquet’ of a champion

Mumbai: Professional athletes are often so deep into their training and work out regimes, that simple pleasures of life like watching movies and indulging in junk food seem illusive. When Harinder Pal Sandhu, India’s latest squash sensation chose to end the monotony by watching a movie, the experience changed his perspective.

Out to watch Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Sandhu was moved by the dedication and commitment that young Milkha showed early in his career. While the movie was enough to inspire him, Milkha’s comments that today’s athletes have potential but lack commitment fired him further.

The 25-year-old has not looked back since. Taking his fitness and game to a new level, Sandhu has had a highly productive year in squash he bagged a gold medal in the team’s event at the Asian Games, completed a hat-trick of wins in the inaugural Indian Challenger Squash, became national champion and capped off the amazing year with another gold in the Asian Beach Games in Phuket. “The movie inspired me. I took Milkha Sir’s comments in a positive way. I knew this was an important year and I worked really hard on my fitness and game. With back-to-back tournaments, the goal was to stay fit and make every game count. This has been my best season,” he said.

Sandhu played a major role in the historic gold that India won in Incheon beating favourites Malaysia. He set the tone by winning the opening tie 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4 against Mohamad Azlan Bin Iskandar. “Going in first, it was important to return with a win. I was slightly nervous, but determined to win. There was pressure but I knew, we could create history that day.”

The Mohali-born player then won three of the four challenger titles held in Jaipur, Mumbai and Chennai. The tournament launched by former star Ritwik Bhattacharya and JSW with a view to give Indians more exposure did just as he picked up over 300 ranking points.

With consistency as his new trademark, Sandhu wrote a fresh chapter in the annals of Indian squash when he upstaged veteran Sourav Ghosal for the national title. Ghosal, a 10-time national champion was aiming for his ninth straight win when Sandhu ended his unbeaten run. “To be the national champion was the goal I had from the time I started playing squash. Ghosal is a top-20 player and it was never easy to beat him. It was a big moment when I could finally beat him after four attempts,” he says.

Enjoying a dream run, Sandhu was named flag-bearer for the Asian Beach Games. “It was a big honour and responsibility to carry the Indian flag. It is every athlete’s dream and the proudest moment of my career. I was the face of my country, and I had promised myself to settle for nothing less than gold.”

Sandhu is forced to stay away from home as his training base is in Chennai. “I have been in Chennai for past 11 years and for four years I stayed at Vijay Agarawal, my father’s friend’s house. N Ramachandran, the IOA president has helped me feel at home.”

For a person from North India moving to Chennai was a big change. Sandhu recalls the days of his early struggle. “I was just 13 and moving to Chennai was a huge cultural shock. I was the quietest boy in the school for the first six months. Understanding the local language was a challenge. I also did not know the route to my school and my guardians were really supportive. Each day, they came to drop me and picked me up and then followed the same routine to drop me at my academy. Eventually, I got used to it and I found my footing in Chennai,” he recalls.

While his father, a Superintendent of Police dealt with his son staying away, it was not easy for his mother. “My father is mentally strong. He somehow convinced my mother that I would be staying in Chennai. We first told her that I would be there for only three-four months so that she would agree. The truth was out, but she realised that she had to make that sacrifice to help me nurture my dream,” says the champ.

Staying away from his family as a child was a challenge. “We would not call each other as that made me feel homesick. We avoided calling for weeks together. Finally, when I won the gold medal after a decade and presented it to my mother, tears rolled down her eyes. I could not stop crying too,” he concludes.