Squash is a popular recreational sport in India, and is gaining popularity as a competitive sport. It is governed by the Squash Rackets Federation of India. The India men's national squash team has participated in three quarter finals of the World Team Squash Championships since 1967. Dipika Pallikal Karthik, Joshna Chinnappa and Saurav Ghosal are among the top ranked Indian squash players. Dipika was the first Indian woman to break into the top 10 Official Women's Squash World Ranking in 2012. Saurav achieved his career high rank of 10 to become the highest ranked Indian male player in 2019. The current national champion in men's discipline is Saurav Ghosal; in women's, it is Joshna Chinappa. History Early history Squash was introduced to India by the British Armed Forces; the sport has been played before World War I. During the period of the British rule, it was largely adopted by British colonies around the world. Most military bases had squash courts built to entertain officers. They can still be found in some army facilities in India. The British Raj restricted the use of the facilities to the upper class of society. Therefore, only those who were from the army or members of private clubs had access to squash in India. The Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) was formed to oversee squash in India. It conducts training camps, state and national tournaments, and the National Squash Championship. The SRFI is in charge of selecting the squad and coaches for the Indian national team. In 1990, it established the Indian Squash Academy. According to the SRFI, squash is established in only 19 states and 4 union territories. In December 2012, squash player Dipika Pallikal Karthik achieved a career-best rank of 10. She became the first female squash player to be conferred with the Arjuna Award, India's second highest sporting award, in the year 2012. Later in December 2013, Saurav Ghosal became the first Indian male squash player to reach the top 20 by achieving a career-best rank of 15. He was also awarded the Arjuna Award by the president of India in August 2007. Competition history In December 2014, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa defeated Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro to claim India's first-ever gold medal in squash at the Commonwealth Games. At the 2014 Asian Games, the Indian men's national team clinched gold; the women's earned their first silver. Saurav Ghosal