World number 41 Ritwik Bhattacharya denied he would be looking for revenge when he comes up against Sourav Ghosal in the 54th national squash championships beginning in New Delhi on Wednesday.
"No, not at all. Sourav is a high calibre player now, not a kid anymore. I have been on the international circuit for five years now. Hopefully my experience will stand me in good stead," Bhattacharya said on the eve of the championships.
"And there is also Siddarth (Suchde), who is also a very good player. So it is not going to be all about us," added the defending champion.
Men's squash in India has seen an interesting rivalry between the 27-year-old Bhattacharya and Ghosal, who have featured in the last three finals.
Bhattacharya won in 2003 and 2005 but Ghosal claimed the title in 2004, thereby preventing a hat-trick by his rival.
Ghosal also has made rapid strides in recent months, and has closed in on Bhattacharya by reaching the top-50 in world rankings last month.
He certainly has the momentum, having shocked the top-seeded Bhattacharya with a sensational come from behind victory at the Otters Open in Mumbai last month.
Joshna Chinnappa will be another star attraction in the Rs. 2.5 lakh prize money event which has a full draw of 128.
The Pathankot-born Bhattacharya said the squash scene in India has dramatically changed in recent years.
Asked about Ghosal taking lesser time than he did to reach the top-50, he said, "when I started, I had to look upto players who were in 150-200 in rankings. There was no precedent (for me)."
