An eight-member Indian squash team departs Chennai for Japan on Friday, 19 September 2026, targeting a historic singles gold at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games — and an improved medal haul beyond the five they secured at Hangzhou 2022 (staged in 2023). The squash events run from 23 September to 2 October, with singles champions earning coveted direct qualification berths for the sport's Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.

India's Squash Legacy at the Asian Games

India have accumulated 18 medals in squash since the sport's Asian Games debut in 1998 — comprising three gold, four silver and 11 bronze. Yet the singles gold has proved elusive. The country's best performances in the individual event remain Saurav Ghosal's back-to-back silvers in 2014 and 2022, alongside bronzes from Dipika Pallikal Karthik (2014 and 2018) and Joshna Chinappa (2018) on the women's side.

At Hangzhou, India's medals came via Dipika and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu in mixed doubles gold, the men's team event gold, Ghosal's singles silver, and bronzes for Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh in mixed doubles and the women's team respectively.

Key Players and Seedings

Women's world No 20 and reigning junior world champion Anahat Singh, seeded third, and men's world No 24 Abhay Singh, seeded second, headline India's singles challenge. They are backed by men's world No 38 Veer Chotrani (fourth seed) and women's world No 63 Tanvi Khanna (seventh seed).

In mixed doubles, veteran Joshna Chinappa, 39, partners Velavan Senthilkumar as the third-seeded pair, with Suraj Chand and Shameena Riaz forming the ninth-seeded combination. All eight players will also compete in the respective men's and women's team events.

Joshna's Historic Seventh Consecutive Asiad

Former women's world No 10 Joshna Chinappa will create history at Aichi-Nagoya, becoming the first Indian sportsperson to compete in seven consecutive Asian Games — a remarkable run stretching back to 2002. Meanwhile, Chotrani, Senthilkumar, Chand and Shameena will make their Asian Games debuts.

What the Coach Said

National coach and Arjuna Award winner Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu expressed cautious optimism about the squad's medal prospects. 'We have a strong blend of continuity and new talent in both our men's and women's teams, and I believe we have a very strong chance of improving on our medal tally from the last edition,' he said.

On the elusive singles gold, Sandhu acknowledged the scale of the task while underlining belief in his players. 'We know the challenge is immense, but we also believe we have players capable of making that breakthrough,' he said. 'Anahat is now emerging as one of the leading players of her generation. Given her current form, confidence and progress on the international circuit, she certainly looks like one of our strongest prospects.'

He added that the team's focus would remain process-driven: 'We remain realistic and respectful of the quality of opposition in Asia. Our focus is on taking one match at a time, executing our plans and ensuring that every player is fully prepared for the pressure of the Asian Games.'

Support Staff and LA 2028 Stakes

The support group travelling with the team includes British former world No 1 James Willstrop, former India women's player Surbhi Misra, and physiotherapist Dimple Kamalakannan. With singles gold at Aichi-Nagoya offering a direct pathway to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the stakes for India's top seeds — particularly Anahat and Abhay — have never been higher. How the young duo handles that pressure in Japan could define Indian squash's trajectory for the remainder of this decade.