Squash medal hope Pallikal pulls out

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India's hopes of winning its first medal in squash at the Commonwealth Games received a severe blow when top female player Dipika Pallikal pulled out of the women's and mixed doubles due to mild fever which she developed before the start of the October 3-14 event.

The promising 19-year-old had earlier opted out of the singles due to the illness.

Pallikal, world ranked 33rd, was to partner her Chennai team-mate Joshna Chinappa in the women's doubles and Saurav Ghosal in the mixed doubles.

The second seeded doubles pair of Chinappa and Pallikal was to play their first match at the Siri Fort Sports Complex on Saturday but the daily competition schedule released by the organisers had her name missing from both the events.

National coach Cyrus Poncha and Pallikal could not be contacted despite making several calls to them, but national champion and the country's top-ranked player Saurav Ghosal confirmed the news about Pallikal's withdrawal.

"It's a big setback for the Indian team. The pair of Pallikal and Chinappa was the best medal hopes for India in the doubles event and we all are feeling very bad. Chinappa will not be featuring in the doubles event. She has completely opted out of the event too after Pallikal's withdrawal due to the illness," Ghosal said.

"When I spoke to Pallikal, she was crying and inconsolable. She was down and feeling sorry for Chinappa and the whole nation. But one can't do anything. Sorry to all," the 24-year-old Kolkata player said.

Asked about Pallikal's health, Ghosal said, "She has still not recovered fully. She is weak and without the required confidence to hit the court. She needs time to regain her fitness."

Ghosal will now partner Chinappa in the mixed doubles event, against Cay Island's Cameron Stafford and Marlene West.

India's hopes in the women's doubles event now rest with the pair of Anaka Alankamony and Surbhi Misra.

Ever since its introduction in the Commonwealth Games in 1998, squash has been one of the low-profile events for India and everyone hoped that the medal jinx could be broken this time with in-form duo of Chinappa and Pallikal making waves internationally.

The Indian duo won an invitational tournament in Manchester this year and from there on started taking the doubles game seriously.

The 19-year-old Chennai girl, who was seeded 14th in the singles event was also expected to make it to the last 16 of the singles event.