Sourav Ghosal has become the first Indian to be rated world number one among juniors and has been given pride of place in the coming world junior squash championships to be held in Islamabad from August 6.

Seventeen-year-old Ghosal from Kolkata, who has been in Chennai for two years pursuing his studies and also the game, has been adjudged the world's best junior, based on his performance during the last two years in tournaments across the globe.

Squash Rackets Federation of India president N Ramachandran made the announcement in Chennai on Thursday evening during the ongoing second ICL PSA World Open.

Winning his first International title in the under-17 age group at the German Open in May 2002, Ghosal rose in stature, annexing the Under-17 Dutch Open in Amsterdam in July 2002. He went on to claim the title in the under-19 category at the German Open in 2003.

Ghosal had won the British Junior Open in January 2004 and was part of the silver medal winning Indian team at the SAF Games in Islamabad.

His title triumph in the British open was creditable, as he was ousted in the quarters in the same tournament in 2003.