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India’s ace woman squash player, Dipika Pallikal, will be skipping next month's World Team Championships in Canada. The reason: she does not know about the event!
"I don't know about it," was Pallikal curt reaction when asked about the world championship.
Pallikal’s Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning doubles partner Joshana Chinnappa had informed reporters that the former is not part of the India team.
Joshana, after clinching her 13th national women's title and third on the trot at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, said she along with Anaka Alankamony -- Saturday's losing finalist Sachika Ingale and Harshit Kaur -- will play the under-19 national champion -- in the December 1-6 tournament in Cananda.
Joshana and Dipika, who did not play in the Nationals because it clashed with the Monte Carlo Open, were also given honorary life membership by the club for winning the CWG women's doubles gold in Scotland.
Joshana, ranked 21st in the world currently, said the absence of Dipika will weaken the team.
"We will try to finish in the top 12. It won't be easy without Dipika as the No 1 player of one team will meet the opposite team's No. 1, and likewise the No 2s and 3s will meet their opposite numbers. In Dipika's absence, I think, Anaka will be our No 2 player," said Joshana who defeated Sachika in 22 minutes of a one-side women's title contest.
The Egyptian women will be defending their title at the World Team Championships.
However, the country's top two women would be taking part in the World Championship that follows from December 12-20 in Cairo, Egypt.
Dipika, who won the bronze in the Asian Games in Incheon, said her aim was to better her performance of making it to the quarter-finals.
"I reached the quarter-finals (in Rotterdam in 2011) and want to go at least one better," said Dipika, who was the first Indian woman to reach the top ten in world rankings in December, 2012.
Joshana, on her part, welcomed the merger of the men's and women's tours and said it would be hugely beneficial for the women players as there would be more tournaments in the calendar.
"There would be more tournaments for women, whether it is $25,000, 50,000, Platinum or above. It's amazing what PSA (men's tour) has been doing and WSA (women's tour) has been slowly catching up," said Joshana.
Asked how Egypt could produce more number of top women players as compared to India, Joshana said ,"There is a strong club culture in Egypt, there are around 40 clubs in Cairo and the clubs support their players financially. Young players 12-13 old get chance to play with the professionals."