Dipika Pallikal

Reality check for Indian juniors Article in HindustanTimes (January 8, 2008) New Delhi INDIANS PLAYERS were brought down to earth after their 'superb' performance in the Scottish Junior Open squash tournament in late December last year. Barring Anwesha Reddy and eventual U-17 champion Dipika Pallikal, all exited before the semifinal round in the British Open which was held at Sheffied immediately after the Scottish sojourn. The chief consultant coach, S. Maniam, had told the Hindustan Times after the 'great' performance at the Scottish Open, that he was hopeful of a good performance in England too. However, things seem to have gone terribly awry. Maniam had said that the Scottish Open would serve to acclimatise the players for the tougher British Open. The Indians had won a whopping four age-group titles and finished runners-up in two categories. On January 3, HT had quoted Squash Racquet Association of Malaysia (SRAM) president Datuk Sani Karim as saying that the Scottish Open was a 'low-grade' tournament and that the SRAM would prefer spending money in a better way. At the British Open, Pallikal, who left the SRFI-ICL academy in Chennai and is now training under Egyptian coach Amir Wagih, was the only bright spot as she won the U-17 title beating defending champion for the last five years, Heba El Torky. She had skipped the Scottish Open. Barring Reddy who exited in the quarterfinal, the rest could not go beyond the third round (Pre-quarterfinals) (see box). Maniam, however, put up a brave front. "I am extremely satisfied with the performance," he said adding, "Dipika won the U-17 gold which is a major achievement, while Anwesha Reddy entered the quarterfinals of the Under-17 category…the players had performed to expectation." Interestingly, the other player to do well at the British Open was Aditya Jagtap, who too did not take part in the Scottish Open. He was a bit unlucky but his achievements were no less commendable, considering that he beat Pakistani U-17 champion and second-seed Farhan Zaman 3-2 and lost in the quarterfinals to Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad in a marathon 83-minute match. Gawad went on to win the tournament by beating the top seeded player of his country. Comparison A COMPARISON SCOTTISH OPEN Boys (U-19) : Harinderpal Sandhu (champion) (U-17) : Karan Mallik (runner-up) (U-15) : Mahesh Mangaonkar (champion) (U-11) : Sandeep Ramchandran (champion) Girls (U-17) : Anwesha Reddy (U15) : B. Aprajitha (runner-up) (Six players who failed in both tournaments have been ignored) BRITISH OPEN Lost in 3rd rd Lost in 1st rd Lost in 3rd rd Lost in 1st rd (in U-13 category) Lost in QF Lost in 1st rd
	Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=5a19a3ca-3be1-4fbd-9c 17-6b93a4027080&MatchID1=4664&TeamID1=5&TeamID2=2&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1173& MatchID2=4673&TeamID3=4&TeamID4=8&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2 =1177&PrimaryID=4664&Headline=Reality+check+for+Indian+juniors Joshna lauds Deepika’s feat Article in The Times of India, Mumbai : 09/01/2008 “Brilliant, great news for Indian Squash,” Were the Words with which India squash queen Joshna Chinappa reacted to the triumph of her sparring partner Deepika Pallikal in the U-17 event of the British Junior Open at Abbeydale in Sheffield U.K. on Sunday. Deepika, who beat Egyptian top seed Hebael Torky, emulated Joshna who won the same title in 2003. Joshna reached the u-19 final in 2004 as a 17-year-old and won the u-19 title in 2005 a year after Saurav Ghoshal won the boys u-19 title. “She took a game off me at the Nationals final in 2006, she’s improved,” said Joshna who’s back from South Africa where she worked with a sports a psychologist and is training for the China Open, a grade II event. Joshna had taken six years to win her first title. Deepika had been attempting for five years, never getting past the last eight. This time too Canadian top seed Laura Hemmell looked like coming in the way but Deepika hung on to win the quarterfinal tie, three of the four games going to extra points. Deepika, the dusky beauty, is also a successful model and has had Tamil film offers. But mother Susan, a former India women’s cricketer, kept her focus on squash sending her to Egypt for training with top coaches like Mohammed Essam Saleh. Deepika’s grandma represented Kerala state in athletics, grandpa represented three states in basketball, father played cricket for his college and mother Susan for India and sister Diya plays basketball. Deepika won the Dutch, French, Australian and Scottish Opens but not the British until she broke the five-year jinx Sunday. Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport and her parents have spared nothing to make Deepika’s game grow. They have rented an apartment in Cairo all year round so that Deepika can train there from time to time. Deepika wins British Junior u-17 title 7th January 2008 : By Pradeep Vijayakar Deepika beat Egyptian top seed Heba El Torky 9-6,5-9,9-6,1-9,9-5 to win the British Junior Open U-17 title at Abbeydale in U.K. Deepika was seeded 5-8.She had won a battle royale against Canadian second seed Laura Gemmell 9-10,9-4,10-9,10-9. For years Deepika Pallikal was in the shadow of Joshna Chinappa. Now she is finally out of it and has gone one better by beating an Egyptian. Joshna has usually come a cropper against her Egyptian arch-rival, Omneya. One remembers seeing a young Deepika in events in Mumbai. She was the dusky beauty. It was sad to see her in tears losing to Anwesha an u-15 final at the Little Masters. But the smile was back when she won the u-17 final beating Anwesha. Anwesha was also there at Abbeydale losing in the last eight. Dipika Rebecca Pallikal, to give her full name, was born on September 21. Sport runs in the family. Grandmom represented Kerala state in athletics, grandpa represented three states in basketball. Father played cricket for his college and mother Susan represented India in cricket. One sister Diya plays basketball while the other Divya’s sport is cheering Deepika. Deepika had won the German, Indian ever to break into the top 100 of squash (WISPA ranking) rankings rising to a Dutch, French, Australian and Scottish Opens but not the British in five attempts. She is only the second career-high 91 in May 2007. Her family and Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport spared nothing to make her game grow. They had an apartment in Cairo where she trained from time to time. Deepika was offered to star in Tamil movies which she refused for the moment as squash was her passion. The year 2001 was the turning point in her career. She gave up tennis for squash. From the age of nine she was guided by Cryus Poncha. She gave notice by beating the boys of her age. She got membership to the India Cements Squash Academy in 2002. She became the National Champion at the age of 11 and never looked back. Indians play as the best stay away (Article in Hindustan Times, Delhi : 3rd January 2008) THE 'SUPERB' performance of Indian squash players in the Scottish Junior Open, which concluded on December 31, may be heartening news for the country's squash fraternity. So what if the Squash Racquet Association of Malaysia (SRAM) put it in the category of 'low-rate' events and decided conserving resources and not sending a team. Six Indian in various age-groups entered finals and five of them Sandeep Ramchandran (U-11), Mahesh Mangaonkar (U-15), Karan Malik (U-17), Harinderpal Singh (U19) and Anwesha Reddy (U-17) emerged champions. But the fact that a country like Malaysia, known for producing world-class players, gave it the go-by and concentrate on the British Open, which kicked off on Wednesday, instead flies in the face of the competitiveness of the Scottish Open. In an article in the Malaysian daily 'The Star' SRAM president Datuk Sani Karim has been quoted as saying that, "Our players won honours in the Scottish Junior Open in the absence of top players. But when they compete in the British Junior Open (immediately after the Scottish Open), they get knocked out in early rounds. It's no point basking in the glory of a low-rate meet and then do badly in a more prestigious championship," Sani Karim was quoted as saying. The SRAM president added that, "Our objective is to expose players to high-level tournaments and see where they stand against the best in the world… It's better to train at home and use the money for other top-class tournaments. We want our players to continue improving on their game and rankings and, to achieve that, they need to get the correct exposure." English and European juniors share SRAM's view. In none of the eight categories barring one did any top 10 player of the Europe Squash Federation participate. Even the English ignored it this age-group tournament. The top and second seeds in the boys' U-19 at the Scottish Open were ranked 12th and 36th respectively by the European Squash Federation (ESF). National consultant coach S. Maniam said from Chennai: "The Scottish Open is a good international tournament. Every national federation has its priorities. The SRAM might be having their own priorities." Asked if the Indians would bring the same laurels in the British Open, which began on Wednesday, he replied in the affirmative. "They have been acclimatised for the British Open in Scotland and that's what we wanted." Time will tell.

TWO COOL RACQUETEERS

Article in Times of India : 15th April 2008

They are rivals; they are friends. They are young and beautiful and are already the queens in Indian squash. They are from Chennai but are already on their way to becoming the country’s next sporting icons. Meet Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal as they talk about life, sport and everything they love in this all-girl talk for The Times of India.

On life in Chennai

Joshna: I got my graduation certificate just three days ago and everyone’s been asking me only thing: which college is crazy enough to give me a degree (laughs aloud). I simply tell them: ‘now I'm beauty and brains put together' (smiles). Since I'm hardly home, I call friends over. I love spending time with my family, especially with my younger brother (Gaurav).

Dipika: I'm in Chennai till the 19th of this month and all that I plan to do is chill out with friends. Maybe, do a few modelling assignments.

On family:

Joshna: My parents struggled a lot initially to find sponsors. Whatever resources they had were all spent towards my squash dreams. My brother was a compromised child that way. But now, he's the priority. And, he orders me around and gets whatever he wants when I'm traveling abroad. (smiles). He's the big bully. He's got a very sharp tongue. He's the only one who can put me in my place. Unlike my dad, my mom doesn't follow squash. And just then, Mrs Chinnappa walks into the tastefully done living room and interrupts the conversation: ‘You are playing some Liverpool tournament next, right Josh?' That's enough to invite a roar of laughter from everybody in the room. 'I'll tell Nicole (World No. 1 Nicole David of Malaysia) that my mom called the British Open -- which is like tennis’ Wimbledon – a Liverpool tournament! How could you say something like that mom?' (giggles all around).

Dipika: Being the youngest of three sisters, I'm the pampered kid in the family. We get along like a house on fire. Divya (the eldest one) and Dia are both into their books while I'm the sporty one.

On education:

Joshna: My mother always saw to it that my education never suffered. ‘What if you get injured and cannot play? You will need education to support yourself,’ was something she always told me. But I've always lived on the edge as far as education is concerned. I've never been the kind who'd prepare for weeks before exams. I always studied eight hours before the paper because I loved the thrill of finishing X lessons in Y amount of time. Also, I studied only 60% of the lessons and whatever I studied would invariably come in the exams. People may think I'm arrogant but that's how I am. Getting A+ is not my priority. Squash is. Even though I'm an English Literature graduate from Ethiraj College, I don't claim that my English is super (winks).

Dipika: Since Josh and Sourav (Ghoshal) studied in the same school (Lady Andal), they were aware of our training schedules. They've been very supportive all throughout. I have my XII board exams coming up in October.

On the WISPA tour:

Joshna: Oh, I think I was born to play this game. (Adds after a pause)... the girls are friendly and I get along with most of them. Nicole and I get along really well because we travel for the Asian events together. However, there are a few girls who don't play the game in the true spirit. They block you, abuse you on the court but I never give it back to them. I simply approach the referee. I can be really mean, trust me (stares you in the eye) but I don't wanna be. There have been times when I've had bruises on my body after a match and then the same opponent has tried to be friendly off-court. I don't relate to that because I think a lot of what you are reflects on the court. You can't be so vastly different on and off it. So, that way I'm a little selective about who I hang out with on the circuit. And, I never party when I'm abroad, even if my friends do.

Dipika: There have been instances when players have blocked me during a match but I haven't encountered sledging on court so far.

On training:

Joshna: Oh, I've become more disciplined after moving into my grandparent's house (giggles). It's closer to the ICL academy where I train, so it's convenient. At home, my parents don't tell me anything, I do whatever I want. But at my grandparent's place, I have my meals on time and am punctual for my practice too. I visit my parents during weekends and spoil myself crazy. No training on weekends (giggles aloud). It's all about hanging out with friends and indulging in all kinds of food, including chocolates. I'm a chocaholic. I can't have one bar at a time so it's like either 6-7 at a time or none. I also train in London under coach Malcolm Wilstrop.

Dipika: I’m based in Kuwait now and training with former pro Amir Wagih. He's like a father figure to me there. There have been a lot of controversies around me in recent times and he's stood by me through thick and thin.

On themselves:

Joshna: I like to think I'm good at whatever I do (giggles). Even though I took up squash, I was pretty good at tennis and badminton too. After a tennis match with a friend, I’m like ‘don't you think I'm too good’ (adds giggling) and he has no choice but to say ‘yes Josh’ (laughs even more). I’m very vivacious and chirpy, unlike my girlie gang.

Dipika: I just love shopping (giggles). Now that I have my own credit card, I think I’ve become worse. (Joshna interrupts, saying) ...she would marry any guy who would take care of her credit card bills and mobile expenses... (laughs aloud, before asking Dipika) ‘so, how much was the mobile bill this time, babe?’ ‘Don't' even ask’ is all Dipika says before bursting into peels of laughter.

On being religious:

Joshna: I'm not religious.

Dipika: I'm very religious. I pray before every match. And, I pray at the church, temple and mosque. I wear a cross on my neck, this thread (pointing to the thick red band on her right hand) is from the dargah and I keep packets of vibhuti which I picked up from a temple.

On having each other for company on the Tour:

Joshna: We don't normally play the same tournaments and I'm much senior to her, so I'm used to being on my own. But, whenever we are together we have a lot of fun... (Dipika butts in ) ‘shopping. Remember, Josh how we shopped like crazy in Malaysia last time’ (both laugh aloud).

On being fashion conscious:

Joshna: I’m into high-end designer wear. I swear by Abercrombie (pointing to her tee), Topshop, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Mango. I shopped like crazy when I was in States last year. LA, NY have a great range of clothes. I like to wear all colours from orange to pink. I do wear Indian clothes on special occasions like festivals and weddings, but I’m home in my denims. I think I’m gonna get married in jeans because the only time I wore a sari, I ended up looking like Chameli (laughs out loud, adding) as it was red and blue. I'm not too much of a jewellery person though.

Dipika: I'm very conscious of what I wear on court. I love (Maria) Sharapova and Ana (Ivanovic). For me, it's important that I look good on court because I don't feel comfortable otherwise. I swear by Forever 21. I love to shop in America and Australia. People say Paris has great stuff but I didn't quite like anything there. Maybe, I went to the wrong places.

You can see I love jewellery (pointing to the four studs on the top of her ear and the beautiful green jadau danglers which she picked from Ajmer). ‘Hey you forgot about the anklet,’ adds Joshna teasingly. I love wearing Indian clothes. I wear them for the monthly prayer services we have at home.

On the craziest thing they've done:

Joshna: I got my belly pierced after I lost a match. I wanted to feel some pain and so got it done. Once I got my eyebrow pierced too. I also got the Smoking Devil tattoo on my back.

Dipika: At the moment everything around me is pink. I've painted my room pink. I'm picking up only pink outfits these days. And, I recently bought this really expensive camera just because it was pink.

On Movies

Joshna: I can watch anything from English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The last two with sub-titles though. Actually, I watch English flicks with sub-titles too (giggles).

Dipika: I like Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Heroes. I watched OC but it got very boring in the fourth season.

On Music Joshna: I like a lot of house music and old English numbers of the 80s.

Dipika: My best friend is part of a band called Substance. They are into rock music and although they are all my age, they seem to be doing pretty well. I like their work.

On modeling/ acting offers

Joshna: I did a couple of shoots for my sponsors but otherwise movies and modelling is a strict no no.

Dipika: I got an offer to act in a Malayalam film but I turned it down. I also got an offer to star opposite Madhavan. I really wanted to do the film, but my dad refused. But if I get a chance to work with Aamir Khan or Hrithik Roshan I'd love to do it (giggles).