From Kalamb to China: How Three Maharashtra Girls Are Rewriting Indian Junior Squash’s Story

Anika Dubey, Akanksha Gupta, and Vasundhara Nangare — all from the Chance2Sports Kanga Kids programme — have cleared the SRFI Selection Round for the 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Panzhihua, China.

The three players at a glance

Three cities, one foundation

Pune, Thane, and Kalamb — these are not neighbouring localities. They are separated by geography, infrastructure, and opportunity. What connects Anika, Akanksha, and Vasundhara is the Kanga Kids cohort under Chance2Sports Foundation, co-founded by Abhinav Sinha and Chetan Desai in 2014 on a public court at Thube Park, Pune.

Vasundhara’s story stands out starkly: Kalamb, a town in Ahmednagar district, does not have a squash court. She was first spotted at a talent identification camp that travelled to her. By 13, she had finished third at the Under-15 Asian Junior Trials. The court came to her — not the other way around.

“I’ve always believed in the potential of young athletes from overlooked areas. Instead of waiting for talent to approach us, we sought it out.” — Abhinav Sinha, Co-Founder, Chance2Sports Foundation

What is the SRFI Selection Round?

Clearing the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) Selection Round is not a participation milestone — it is a competitive gatekeeping event. Players qualify based on national ranking points earned across the domestic junior circuit: Sub-Junior and Junior Nationals, the Indian Junior Open, and Khelo India Youth Games. Selection matches are held at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai under SRFI and SAI supervision. Those who pass enter a training camp before the final contingent for the Asian Junior Championships is named.

About the 33rd Asian Junior Championships

What Kanga Kids actually provides

The Kanga Kids partnership is not just branding. For athletes from Kalamb or Thane with limited household income, it provides equipment, tournament travel funding, and access to coaching — the three practical barriers that end most promising junior careers. Think of it as the infrastructure of belief: a signal to a young athlete that someone sees their potential and will back it.

For more on how grassroots programmes like this are shaping Indian junior sport, check out TechnoSports’ coverage of Indian junior squash and Chance2Sports.

The bigger picture

Chance2Sports is currently running a ₹25 crore fundraising initiative to scale nationally over the next five years — supporting 150 athletes with coaching, nutrition, and sports science — with a clear target: producing India’s first World Junior squash gold medalist from a community programme. In parallel, a new community centre in Pune (in collaboration with SportsSkill) will offer upgraded infrastructure and high-performance training pathways for the next generation.

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