James Willstrop appointed foreign coach of India’s squash team for Asian Games
England’s James Willstrop, a former World No,1, has been named the foreign coach of the Indian senior (men & women) squash team for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya (Japan), which run from September 19 to October 4; the appointment was reported on August 21, 2026.
Willstrop, 43, will join the Indian delegation in Chennai ahead of the Games, arriving on September 17 and travelling with the team the following day alongside Indian head coach Harinderpal Singh Sandhu. Cyrus Poncha, Secretary of Squash Rackets Federation of India, has been designated the Technical Delegate for squash at the Asian Games. The announcement also states that Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh, described as India’s top squash players, will prepare with Willstrop in the United Kingdom prior to the tournament.
Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh are scheduled to train at Pontefract Squash Club in West Yorkshier with Willstrop in a few weeks’ time, according to the report. The article specifies that those sessions will take place before the team departs for Japan, although exact dates for the training block were not given.
The appointment pairs an overseas coaching addition with the existing domestic setup, with Willstrop travelling to Japan together with Harinderpal Singh Sandhu as part of the team management. Willstrop’s arrival in Chennai on September 17 is timed to ensure he joins the delegation for the flight to Aichi-Nagoya on September 18.
Cyrus Poncha’s role as Technical Delegate for squash at the Asian Games was confirmed in the same report, linking the federation’s administrative representation to the Indian team’s competitive preparations in Japan. The article names Poncha explicitly as Secretary of the Squash Rackets Federation of India and assigns him the Technical Delegate responsibility for the event.
It is also reported that India has won the bid to host the Asian senior individual championships scheduled for April-May next year; the venue for those championships has not yet been decided.
