Jaipur: International player and coach from the Pink City, Surbhi Misra, has been appointed as the coach of the Indian squash team for the 20th Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Surbhi is the only member from Rajasthan in the coaching staff of the Indian contingent. Foreign coach James Willstrop and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu are also part of the squash coaching unit.The ministry of youth affairs and sports, Government of India, has approved a 768-member Indian contingent for the Games. The contingent includes a total of 503 athletes, comprising 269 men and 234 women, who will represent India in 36 sports. Apart from the athletes, the contingent includes a 246-member team of coaches, support staff, medical staff and team officials across various sports.Surbhi informed that an eight-member Indian squad will participate in squash at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, including four men and four women players. The men’s team includes Suraj Kumar Chand, Veer Chotrani, Velavan Senthilkumar and Abhay Singh, while the women’s team includes Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna and Shamena Riaz.Surbhi was also the coach of the Indian team at the previous Asian Games held in Hangzhou (China) in 2023, where the Indian team won two gold, one silver and two bronze medals. She said that looking at the recent performance of Indian players, India is expected to increase its medal tally in squash this time. She added that the Asian Games is also a qualifying event for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028.
