Saurav Ghosal, in an exclusive interaction with DNA, is one of the leading squash players in India but due to the coronavirus lockdown, the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games silver medalist has donned a new role by becoming the host of the Finish Line, a new eight-part web series which has some candid conversations of India’s leading sporting individuals.
The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 stalled all activities for people. For sporting personalities, their life was brought to an absolute standstill. This period showed that ‘re’invention was the mother of necessity. In this tough time, sports people trained indoors, honed their other skills and decided to indulge in some new activity like cooking, painting, singing and other activities. However, one top-ranked squash player decided to do something different altogether. He decided to host a web series. This is how Saurav Ghosal, one of India’s top squash players and the 2018 silver medalist at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games decided to utilize his time during the coronavirus lockdown.
Speaking exclusively to DNA, Ghosal pointed out that he was unsure of how it would turn out but as the series progressed, he enjoyed playing the host for the first time. Ghosal also pointed out that he would not thought about this thing in detail had the coronavirus lockdown not given him so much time. “It was my first time (hosting). Yes, it was exciting. I was unsure of how it would turn out. It was an enjoyable experience. It is the first time that I am asking the questions and not answering them. It was a good switch,” Ghosal said.
The eight sporting stars for the first season of The Finish Line web series are Bindra, Viswanathan Anand, Karthik, Pankaj Advani, Smriti Mandhana, Leander Paes, Parul Parmar and Varun Singh Bhati. Baseline Ventures has conceptualised and produced the eight-part web series which will begin on August 28. On Ghosal's Twitter timeline, there are teasers of his web series along with the conversation he will have with Bindra on August 28.
Toughest and easiest
Being an elite sportsman himself, Ghosal’s series promises to give an insight of how top athletes overcome the odds to achieve success. In his entire list, Ghosal said the interaction 2008 Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra was the easiest while five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand was the toughest.
“The easiest one because I had a good personal relationship with him was Abhinav Bindra and Dinesh Karthik. Karthik is like family and Bindra, I know him on a personal level and I respect him immensely. The toughest one was Viswanathan Anand. It was the first time I was interacting with him. Once the conversation started, he was very amicable. I have grown up hearing his achievements and I have observed how he conducts himself. When you have immense respect for someone and you have never spoken to them, it does become difficult,” Ghosal said.
The new experience of hosting a web series is pretty novel at a time when web series is becoming a new rage. Is Ghosal looking at an alternative career in broadcasting? The 34-year-old says he is quiet content with his sports career but life is uncertain.
“I have a few more years to achieve. I have some goals in my sports career. My dream is to be the World No.1 and there are areas that I want to improve on. I looked at those areas. I have been trying to work on them. Hopefully, the results should show in the coming months. You never know where life will take you. I enjoyed this and I feel confident that I can do justice to the role,” Ghosal said.
Coping up as a sportsman
The coronavirus pandemic denied access to squash courts for Ghosal. Not just squash, every sport in the country has been brought to a standstill. Despite not playing for six to seven months, Ghosal wants to focus on the positives. “Initially, it was difficult. If you have a goal with what you want to achieve, it helps you deal with a lot of emotions. You may have lost 6-7 months of your career due to the pandemic but your body has been spared the pounding that it would normally take. A renewed sense of treasuring the moments is one way that a sportsman will look at it. I have been home for six months and I never thought I would be in one place. This time can be utilised in how technology can be used better. It is a necessity. I hope this necessity brings changes that will better the sport,” Ghoshal said.
When it comes to on-court action, there is a tournament scheduled in Manchester in September while there is another major tournament in Cairo in October. Manchester, the venue where in 2003 he became the first Indian to reach the Word Junior Squash championship quarterfinal, holds a special place in his heart. However, due to the pandemic, Ghosal is not sure of his participation.
“The first tournament will be in Manchester on September 16. However, I am still debating on whether I should go for that. We have a tournament in Cairo in October which I will play, unless something very serious happens,” Ghosal said.
The pandemic has transformed Ghosal the squash player into Ghosal the web series host and The Finish Line is a web series that promises to bring in stories that might never have been heard from India’s finest.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Saurav Ghosal Squash")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}