Toulouse is one place that former world squash champion Jahangir Khan of Pakistan would like to be furthest away from; it is possible that he shies away from the very sound of the name of the picturesque little town on the French Riviera. It was in Toulouse in 1986 that the great Pakistani player ‘string of world titles was finally broken by New Zealander Ross Norman.

Now, four years later, when the World Championships return to the same city, the 27yearold Jahangir has been laid low by a mystery illness which has occasioned his last moment withdrawal from the tournament he rates in importance only next to his favorite British Open. So poor is his condition that he has categorically stated that he may have to quit squash altogether unless there is a marked improvement.

The news of his withdrawal has come too late for the seeding’s committee to take any action; and the competition will go ahead with a gaping hole at the top of the draw, where Jahangir was seeded No 1. ‘And in his absence, the odds on his younger compatriot, Jansher Khan’s retaining the world title he won last October in Kuala Lump or have gone up substantially.

In fact, the way the 21yearold Jansher is playing, he could soon be taking over from Jahangir the accolade of “unsquashable”, which the latter converted during the 1980s into a money spinning brand name for a range of squash rackets and allied products. Jansher recently won the US Open title, beating his closest Australian rivals, Chris Dittmar and Chris Robertson, in successive rounds, and appears in excellent form to win the prestigious world crown for the third time in four years. Last year, it had been a gallant Dittmar who had finally bowed his head after a humdinger of a final that went the full distance, Jansher won in five grueling games, much to the displeasure of the capacity crowd at the World Trade Centre, who had cheered the Kangaroo all the way. ‘The Pakistani was given the bird for showing a churlish side to his nature that the spectators found hard to digest poor behavior with Organizers and constant questioning of referee decisions against him,

“There was a lot of defiance of authority in his early days, and I wonder if that’s catching up with him, and taking a toll now”, Malcolm Will strop, one of Britain’s best squash coaches, said at the time. Rahmat Khan, Jahangir’s longtime coach and friend, however, avers that Jansher was treated poorly when he was on his way up, and this is his way of cocking a snook at the Establishment.

Perhaps he became world champion too early, before he matured mentally as a person, Says his coach and elder brother Mohibullah, “Jansher became world champion two years ahead of schedule.” The Pakistani, born on June 15, 1969, had expected he would become world champion only at the age of around 20 or 21. He achieved the distinction in 1987, and confirmed his status as world champion in 1989.

The younger brother has managed to achieve what his shorter, balding older sibling, separated from him by a decade and a half in age, was unable to Mohib, now 36, got as high as world No.2 with hi: breathtaking and gifted stroke making But he always stumbled on the threshold of making it to that final step, being stopped first by Australian Geoff Hunt, and then by fellow Pakistani Jahangir Khan.

“Mohib was the one who introduced me to squash, and taught me almost all [know about the game”, admits Jansher, “I have never played competitive squash against him because of our difference in age. But I have had the chance of seeing him play, and I have also heard from people all over the world that in his prime he had the most attractive game of all”.

‘Long legs (he is only a shade under the six foot mark) and loads of stamina enable him to chase everything down, and tire out Of the fittest of rivals on the world circuit. Taking inspiration from Jahangir who has always spent between five and seven hours daily in either physical workouts or on the squash court Jansher has also followed a punishing regimen.

His training, when he is in Pakistan, is divided into three sessions a day, and is tough to the point of being brutal. He is up before five in the morning, and goes through a two hour stretch of physical training under Ghulam Ali, a physical instructor employed by the Pakistan Air Force.

That does not necessarily mean that he is thinking of getting married. His name has been linked for the last three years with former Malaysian, national player, Violet Soh, who is also studying in London, but it has been reported that both Mohib and his parents are against the match. “He has to achieve many more things in squash before he can think of settling down”, says the elder brother, sententiously.

‘And Jansher himself claims he has no interest in marriage at the moment because of his obsession to be undisputed No. l. “For me, squash is a hard taskmistress”, he says, “And the only thing that is able to take my mind away from squash is Pakistani movies and TV dramas, which I love to watch!”

Perhaps it is too early to think of an epitaph to a career that is still young and vibrant. But trust Jansher to be one step ahead he already has one in mind for the day he retires, Cho riling in a manner almost childlike, he revealed his hunger for recognition to this correspondent last year with this gem: “When I hang up my racket, I want it to be said that Mohibullah was brilliant, but Jansher was better!”

Article extracted from this publication >> November 23, 1990