How a Teen From Rural India Used YouTube to Become a National Squash Star

The first time Vasundhara Nangare stepped onto the gleaming squash courts of Bombay Gymkhana, she stopped in her tracks. The polished wooden floors shone under the floodlights, the glass back wall glistened, and the ball snapped crisply against the surface — sharp, precise, and nothing like what she had known before.

Back home in Kalamb, a small town in Maharashtra’s Dharashiv district, her practice court was half the size, floored with uneven stone slabs. During the monsoon, water seeped in through cracks, leaving slick patches that forced her to skip practice.

Yet here she was, just 14 years old, standing on one of India’s finest courts, preparing to play against the best in the country.

She tightened her grip on the racquet. The thought crossed her mind: “This is so different.” But another followed quickly: “I’ve trained for this. I belong here.”

Moments later, she stepped forward and proved it true.

A game that found her

Squash wasn’t supposed to be a part of Vasundhara’s story. It was her elder sister who first dabbled in the game, travelling occasionally to a village 50–60 kilometres away, where a physical education teacher had built a rudimentary court. But when her sister left for her studies, the game slipped away.

For Vasundhara, the real beginning came when a small makeshift court was built in Kalamb.

“I didn’t even know what squash was at the time. But when a small court was built in Kalamb, my father took me there. That’s when I picked up the racquet, and I just loved the game. The power of hitting the ball, the rallies, the energy — it felt different.”

Her father, Mukund Nangare, a government schoolteacher, remembers the moment vividly.

“The court was rough, the flooring uneven, the measurements all wrong. But the first time Vasundhara played, I could see her eyes light up. From then, she wanted to go every day,” he says.

What began as a casual visit quickly turned into daily practice sessions.

YouTube as a coach

In 2022, only six months after she picked up the game, Vasundhara played her first tournament in Pune. It wasn’t a national event, but a state-level one. For her, it was a giant step — the first time she had travelled outside her village for sport.

And then came the surprise: she won. “That was when I thought maybe I could do something in squash,” she says, smiling at the memory.

But the victory also exposed the gap. She noticed how senior players had a fitness she lacked — their backhand swings, their lobs, their control. Returning to Kalamb, she knew she couldn’t rely only on her stone-walled court.

With no coach in town, Vasundhara turned to the only teacher available: YouTube.

“I watched videos of senior players again and again — how to hold the racquet, how to move, how to hit. At first, it was impossible to copy, but slowly, with practice, I started to get better.”

Her father often sat beside her, replaying clips, both of them trying to decode the game frame by frame. It was grassroots coaching in its rawest form — improvised, self-taught, and driven entirely by hunger.

The coach who saw hunger

The real turning point came when Chance2Sports, a grassroots initiative, organised a camp in Kalamb. Among the visiting coaches was Abhinav Sinha, founder of SportSkill and Chance2Sports.

“One of my colleagues told me, ‘Sir, there are some kids from low-income families with potential. You should see them,’” Sinha recalls. “I’ve always believed that champions rarely come from privilege. The money might, but the hunger doesn’t.”

When he first watched Vasundhara, he noticed immediately that her technique was unpolished, but her eyes told a different story.

“She was raw, but her hunger to learn was extraordinary. She didn’t complain, she didn’t ask for excuses. She just played, again and again. At her age, that’s gold,” he says.

Abhinav decided to mentor her. With support from his foundation’s backers, he began bringing Vasundhara to Mumbai once a month. There she trained on proper courts, learnt structured drills, and gained insights on nutrition and fitness.

The rest of the time, she remained in Kalamb, guided remotely by Abhinav via video coaching. “It’s not perfect,” he admits. “Her village court is maybe 40 percent of what a standard court should be. The ball bounces differently, the walls don’t react the same. But she still makes it work. That’s the kind of resilience you can’t teach.”

A family that carried the dream

Behind her rise are countless sacrifices at home.

“We didn’t know much about squash at first,” says her father Mukund. “In the village, people thought it was just for fitness. But once we saw her potential, we decided to support her fully. Even if it meant travelling, even if it meant adjusting everything at home.”

Her mother takes charge whenever Vasundhara leaves for tournaments. Both parents, despite being teachers with limited incomes, ensure she makes her monthly trips to Mumbai. “Whenever I see her play, it makes me proud,” Mukund adds. “Because we know how far she has come from where she started.”

Breaking into the big league

By 2024, Vasundhara was no longer just a village girl with a racquet. She was a competitor. She stormed into the Maharashtra State Open at Bombay Gymkhana, defeating top-seeded players. She performed strongly at the Poona Club Squash Open and the PSA Challenger Tour in Pune.

And then came the defining moment — the 2025 Under-15 Asian Junior Trials. At just 13, Vasundhara secured third place, enough to claim a spot on India’s junior team.

“It’s a big achievement,” Abhinav beams. “She even beat international players in the plate event. And this is just the beginning. Champions don’t come from privilege; they come from hunger. And Vasundhara has that in plenty.”

Ask Abhinav what makes her stand out, and he doesn’t hesitate. “She is extremely disciplined for her age. She listens, works hard, and adapts quickly. She’s not yet at peak squash fitness, but that will come. The foundation is solid.”

“The biggest lesson she’s learnt is patience and strategy. Squash is not just power; it’s about outthinking your opponent. That’s what she’s grasping now.”

A dream to play for India’s senior team

For Vasundhara, the dream is clear. “I want to play at the World Junior Championships and then, at the senior level for India.”

When she’s not on the court, Vasundhara sketches and reads, just like any teenager. But hand her a racquet, and she transforms — no longer just a girl from Kalamb, but a symbol of what raw determination can achieve.

She looks up to squash stars Joshna Chinappa and Ali Farag, but in her own village, the children already look up to her. Inspired by her journey, nearly 30 kids in Kalamb have started playing squash on the same broken court.

In the evenings, they crowd around, watching her practise. Some try to copy her strokes, some just cheer. In those moments, she isn’t just a teenager chasing her dream — she is proof that champions can rise from anywhere.

Edited by Vidya Gowri; all images courtesy: SportsSkill and Vasundhara Nangare