Jahangir Khan, the man who can’t be beaten, said Geoff Hunt, Australia’s best-ever squash player. Geoff Hunt, who now works with aspiring champions at the Australian Institute of Sport in Brisbane, examines the ability of the Pakistani champion. Jahangir Khan has succeeded the Australian as the world’s most outstanding player.
In New South Wales recently, I had the chance to watch and play against, Jahangir Khan, the young man who seems likely to dominate the squash world for many years to come. The last time I competitively played the brilliant Pakistani player was in a tournament three years ago in England. Therefore, at a time when I thought I might be able to play one last British Open,.
I had beaten Jahangir in the final of the 1981 Open but in the lead-up to the world’s most prestigious event a year later, he beat me quite convincingly. But I was happy to be able to keep Jahangir Khan out on the court for about 90 minutes, although I won only 10 points. I really didn’t move very well because of problems with my back and legs, but I was pleased that the match was quite lengthy.
These days, against the best players in the world, Jahangir rarely has to stay on the court for more than 45 minutes. That gives you an idea of just how good this man is. Even though he was only 17 at the time, I believe my victory over him in the ‘1981 British Open was the pinnacle of my career.
Why Jahangir “Khan’t” be beaten
Ross Norman is the world’s number two; the rest of the players would rather do with Jahangir Khan. So, firmly entrenched in the number one position, they would like to think the number two spot is available, but in the last 12 months, Norman has not only come back from that disastrous leg injury 30 months ago, he has lifted his own game several notches, and now the gap between the two and three spots is as wide as between the one and two spots. Ross Norman reckons to have played Jahangir about 20 times; in fact, in the last six months he has played him in five finals: the US Open, the Canadian Open, the Swiss Masters, the World Open, and the World Team championships. He has lost on each occasion but still feels that the world champion can be beaten and will be
How do you feel now when you walk on the court with Jahangir Khan?
I always feel that I’m in with a chance. You have to feel that you have a chance, or you will feel disheartened. Building up towards the Worlds Open, I believed I did have a chance and went in there with a positive attitude, and I felt I did come close.
Did you have any new approaches or game plans?
Not really, I just wanted to make it as long as possible because I feel the longer you stay on court with him, the more chance you’ve got. The first guy who is ever going to beat Jahangir is going to do it in 2 1/2 hours. It’s going to be a long, long, hard match.
Isn’t that exactly the wrong way to approach Jahangir Khan, given his awesome fitness and strength?
You’ve got to work on your fitness, and the way I see him being beaten is him having a tough quarterfinal and a tough semi-final, and if you’re prepared to stay on the court for a couple of hours, you’ve got a chance. It’s going to take that combination to beat him.
But the truth is that you are the one who has the tough quarters and semis, and Khan’s opponents give up.
That’s what happened in the World Open—I didn’t exactly have an easy path, the sixteens, quarters, Ross Norman discusses the Khan magic and explains to Martin Bronstein how the world champion can be deposed. “The person who beats Khan will be the person who out-Jahangir’s Jahangir!” The semis were relatively easy, 3-0, and I was pretty fresh when I made the final, which is why I did well.
He has the aura of invincibility; does he have any weaknesses?
He has very few weaknesses. I believe he is the best squash player that has ever been. He’s got the fitness that Hunt had. I think he’s got even more determination than Hunt; he’s a lot more aware, and he hits more practice shots. He hits the same shots as Hunt but he cuts them more and so the ball stops that inch closer to the front wall, which makes all the difference.
When Davenport took a game off Khan in the British Open, he seemed to be having most success with the short game Is that one way of decreasing his superiority?
A lot depends on Jahangir. If he’s playing well, there’s just no one who gets a game. But if he’s a little bit off and you’re on, then you have a chance—it has to be that combination. When Davenport takes a game, it’s a lot through shots but then again, it’s only a matter of time before he loses. Qamar Zaman has better shots than Davenport and he hasn’t taken a game off Jahangir for years. So it’s not that kind of game that’s going to beat him.
It seems as though the gap between Khan and the rest is widening. I don’t think so. That gap has always been there; it’s just that more people are getting discouraged now, that’s all. Jahangir, like Hunt, is a true champion, and he can raise his game by knowing how many percent there are when the occasion demands it. So that when a challenger comes along who is consistently taking a game, he raises his level. Remember when Hunt was the champion and Qamar Zaman and Mohibullah came along? He raised his game to consistently beat those guys, and when Jahangir came along, he raised his game again. That’s the trait of a true champion.
You’re making him sound even more invincible.
No, there has to be that combination. If he met Gawain Briars in the quarters and then Chris Ditmar in the semis, Chris has come very close to taking two games off him — and say myself in the final or any combination of those players in any order—he could be beaten. The guy is only human; he does get tired. I don’t have nightmares about him, I just have to raise my game, and I think I have in the last 12 months. I don’t think my game has changed that much in 12 months, just that my approach to the game has changed. I don’t seem to get stale anymore; I prepare myself a lot better for the matches. I cut out errors that used to creep into my game.
What advice would you give to a young player setting his sights on Jahangir Khan?
He’d have to be good for a start. He’d have to be in the top 16 in the world before he started challenging Jahangir. He would have to go out, get fit, and mentally prepare himself. The person who beats Khan will be Jahangir’s Jahangir! Be fitter than him, be more accurate than him, and be more aware of the court than him. Because Khan’s game negates everything else. You can have all the flair in the world but Jahangir will negate that, he’ll neutralize everything you’ve got. That’s how Jahangir Khan made it-he out-hunted Hunt.
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