India’s No. 2 squash player Dipika Pallikal has moved to Egypt and will play all her major tournaments from the country of pyramids and mummies.
MUMBAI: After being thrown out of the squash academy in Chennai, India’s No. 2 Dipika Pallikal has moved to Egypt and will play all her major tournaments from the country of pyramids and mummies. And it is doubtful if she will ever play in India.
“I will be there for almost 10 months a year and will come here to pursue my studies,” said Dipika, who was in the city to attend a function. “I have fallen in love with club Heliopolis in Cairo. I will be playing league in the country and more WISPA tournaments. I feel sorry I have to move out of my own country. I always respected the Chennai academy. They have taught me the game but in Egypt they are moulding me to be a champion.”
Dipika is now preparing for the British Open, scheduled to begin on January 6. Her training tenure kicked off in Egypt under the tutelage of Amir Wagih, the Egyptian national coach, but from next month she will have a personal coach — Hafiz Mohammad Saleh. “It makes a world of difference. The coaching in Egypt and that in India. Coaches there are like friends and the infrastructure there is amazing,” says Dipika.
The 15-year-old Dipika, who has rejected film offers, says she will be missing her friends in India. “To gain something one has to sacrifice something, so I have left the country for a short period so that when I come back I will play in the big league and win medals for India.”
Ranked second after Joshana, Dipika was denied entry into the Doha Asian Games as she “was not a medal prospect as per the regulations of the Indian Sports Ministry.” She was ejected out of the Chennai-based academy after her reaction was published in this paper.
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