Wish I had finished first in Doha: Arihant

Arihant finished runner-up in the Doha Junior Open, after succumbing to a 2-11, 8-11, 4-11 loss against Pakistan’s Mohmmad Ammad in the final. 

“I am happy with the way I have played. But, I wish I had finished first,” said Arihant, who is looking forward to make it one better next time. This was just the second tournament outside India for the Chennai-based squash player. He had earlier participated in the Red Tone Junior Open in Malaysia in December 2017, where he had a rare chance of playing on his birthday. 

Commenting on his trip to Qatar, he said, ”The climate was good there. The only difficulty I had was the difference in the timings. The tournament was well organised. To sum it up, it was indeed a nice one.” 

Asked if he was under some sort of pressure during the tournament, Arihant added, “My coach has always laid emphasis on playing without any pressure. Once you are under pressure, you will not be able to deliver your best. It is all about expressing yourself, ensuring you give your best on any given day.”  

He is currently pursuing grade 5 at the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan School in T Nagar. Arihant, a trainee of the Indian Squash Academy here, was grateful to the assistance offered to him by his school. 

“My school has been very supportive, be it giving leave or be it conducting retests when I am out of the city for a tournament. All they want me to do is catch up with studies,” asserted the 11-year-old.   

Arihant has now set his sights on clinching a medal in each of the two international tournaments, which are set to take place later this year. “I am targeting a top-3 finish at the CMS Borneo Open in Malaysia (June 2018) and at the Hong Kong Junior Open (July 2018). My itinerary is planned by my coaches as they want me to have good exposure at the Asian level before I make it to the world circuit,” signed off Arihant.