“I realised she wasn’t enjoying it and started taking her to the squash courts along with me. She developed into a national level player in her age group within a year,” Varinder Kumar, Harshit’s father, says. Today, she is the number one in the country in her category and dares rubbing shoulders with the taller and stronger, even the under-19s. In that, she is also living her father’s dreams. “I couldn’t continue with cricket because of my temperament and lack of assistance. That’s why I wanted her to take up some sport,” Kumar says.

Janet, too, has an inspirational father behind her. From school-level badminton until a couple of years ago to bubbling thoughts of making a career out of squash, the DSOI courts near Dhaula Kuan have been her companion over the last two years. “She was playing badminton earlier because the rackets were light. I always wanted her to play squash and waited until she became strong enough to hold a heavy racket,” KK Verma, Janet’s father, says.

India players Deepika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa were an influence too. “Meeting India’s top players and getting tips from them at an early age also contributed to her development,” Verma says.

The two combined for all the victories that Delhi registered during its run to the title. Harshit, with her top billing, was a straight favourite but Janet was up against some odds. Returning to the event after a year’s gap and a twisted ankle had riveted the hopes of the team before a crucial fixture against Aishwarya Kulkarni of Maharashtra. Janet won the tie in the deciding game of the best-of-five format and followed it up with a straight games win.