Indian squash’s first real achiever on the PSA circuit, Bhattacharya is heading into a phase where his contribution to the sport begins to have an impact beyond the number of titles he’ll pick, or the seven that he has previously won (still three ahead of the rapidly rising Saurav Ghosal).

But Bhattacharya isn’t averse to playing mentor to the burgeoning group of juniors — fresh talent mushrooming in different parts of India.

Sensing the buzz at the Bombay Gymkhana, where 35-40 juniors were bursting with energy as Mumbai looked to get back seriously on the squash-radar, the senior hurriedly agreed to a detour to the city, squeezing the state open in between two scheduled events.

Regularly sought out for coaching clinics, Bhattacharya goes about his job as an advisor diligently. The home-page to his website is peppered with advice and Mumbai junior Mahesh Mangaonkar got an elaborate pep-talk before he started out to Zurich for the World Juniors: Relax, enjoy the event, play as a team with passion...

“I end up learning too, and most times when I’m teaching them, I realise we didn’t have these things when I started playing,” he states. Wisdom flows, as the pro who has spent close to a decade at the highest level with a top-ranking of 38, plays the guide.

The Delhiite, who has virtually shifted base to Mumbai, believes he has another three-four years of squash in him, at least. He looks fitter, believes his current flexibility makes his past self seem a joke, and attributes it to the serious yoga sessions under Bandra-specialist Mr Vinayak. “Squash is all that I want to do,” he says, and taking up the challenge thrown by Saurav Ghosal is something he’s enjoying.

“It’s not been a great year at all,” he says of his indifferent season. “Post-injury, sometimes the game cracks apart, but when it comes together, it’s very effective.” The man’s clearly enjoying the struggle — the climb up from rank 79 and the three lacklustre nationals, where he’s gone without the title.

Bhattacharya was around when Ghosal picked his career-best win at France, and says, “If not me, it was good that the winner was another Indian. He’s playing better than anyone else in India, and alongwith Sidharth Suchde, they’ve raised the bar in Indian squash. It’s exciting now that I’m not being chased, but doing the chasing.”