Huge potential for India, says Egyptian coach

Small wonder, national coach Cyrus Poncha rightly rolled the dice towards Egyptian Achraf El Karagui, a seasoned coach with two decades of experience, to lead Indian squash. 

What Karagui brings with him, apart from loads of experience, is his ability to churn out world champions. The Egyptian came to India on a two-month trial visit and was impressed with the quality of players and agreed instantly for a full-time coaching contract. “The potential in India is huge. The talent pool is immense and that is what I love about this country,” Karagui said, on the sidelines of the 19th Asian Squash Championship.

With a mission on hand, Karagui has set his plans clear. He is here to inculcate a winning work ethic, for which the Egyptians are known for. “What is missing in India is hard work. The players here don’t have the exposure to hard training and tough matches. They need to have the stamina to slug it out on the court for two hours, if need be. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with fitness always. Mental training is important. At the top level, most players are of a similar strength. What makes the best stand out is mental toughness,” the Egyptian added. 

Karagui further said India isn’t far behind in dominating the world scene and went on to comment what value he brings to Indian squash. “What I have brought is squash movement. Footwork is very important, just like in cricket and football. I have taught the players how to maximise their efforts with concise movement on the court. They need to know where to be rather than running around the court, which will only result in fatigue,” he explained.

According to Karagui, Indians have improved on control and power. “It all boils down to the timing. The way one plays a shot and the control they have on it. A player must be in charge of the rally he is playing. He must be confident of executing his plans and I must say, Indians are improving in these aspects,” he noted. 

With dedication and expertise, success isn’t left far behind. “I am happy that the results are starting to show. In the British Junior Open earlier this year, we had the top three from India. A couple of weeks ago, Joshna reached the quarterfinals of the PSA World Championship in Egypt, which is a huge result. And we had Velavan to appear in two finals consecutively on the Tour. But all these are a job half done,” Karagui remarked.