Ghosal rues top names giving Delhi Games a miss

Squash player Saurav Ghosal likened the Commonwealth Games, sans the stars, to the India cricket team taking the field without Sachin Tendulkar. "The decision of Usain Bolt and others to not take part in the Games is disappointing because they are big names and people like to watch them.

Their
absence is like India playing without Sachin," said Ghosal, on the sidelines of the function to announce the Punj Lloyd Squash PSA Masters and WISPA Silver Tour, to be held here from December 12-19.

On his preparations for the October 3-14 Games and getting to play at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, the venue for squash, just 10 days before the event, the world No. 26 said players need more time to adjust to a venue but added it should not be an excuse for poor performance.

"Ideally, we wanted a little more time to get used to the courts but it did not turn out that way, so have to get on with it and perform well," said Ghosal.

Before the Games, the 24-year-old will feature in the Australian Open followed by tournaments in Hong Kong and England before returning home in September.

The Punj Lloyd Masters, which will be organised in association with the Squash Racquets Federation of India (SFRI), comprises of a series of nationwide championships across various age groups and will culminate in the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters (prize money of 187,500 dollars )Rs 8687148 and Punj Lloyd WISPA Silver Tour event for ladies (prize money of 36,500 dollars) Rs 1691098.

There will also be 11 promotional events, which will be played in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai from August to November.  The finalists will be invited to participate in the pre-event of the Punj Lloyd Masters and Punj Lloyd Silver Tour event.