To compare these two greatest squash players would be like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi; Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. There would be an endless debate about which of them is the greatest. Because each player has become the best in their own right. Let’s look at their accomplishments first before comparing them head-to-head.
The Era of a Champion
Jahangir Khan is a former World No. 1 professional squash player whose time of dominance was between 1981 and 1986. He was born in Karachi, Pakistan and is considered by many to be the greatest squash player of all time. During his illustrious career, he was able to win the British Open a record ten times while winning the World Open six times. Between 1981 and 1986, which is the time he dominated the sport, he won 555 professional matches without defeat for a period of five and a half years and is one of the longest winning streaks in the history of sports.
Birth of a New Champion
Jansher Khan is another Pakistani professional who rose to prominence at the end of 1986. He is also a former World No. 1 and boasts winnings in the World Open a record eight times. Not only this, but he won the British Open six times making him also one of the greatest squash players of all time. By the time Jahangir was waning on his form, Jansher came to the picture. Jansher became known when he won the World Junior Squash Championship and later on became a professional.
Rivalry Kindled
The Jansher vs Jahangir rivalry, one of the most exciting rivalries in squash, rose to dominance between late 1986 up until early 1993. Since their styles of play clearly differ, their tournament encounters sometimes become the most-watched even surpassing the actual championship match. They met a total 37 times in tournament matches, not including exhibition and league matches. Out of these 37 encounters, Jansher won 19 matches and Jahangir 18 matches. Later when Jahangir retired in 1993, Jansher becomes the sole dominant squash player until his retirement in 2001.
Based on these data, it is really hard to tell which really of the two is the greatest. Many fanatics would say that Jansher became dominant only because by the time he was still starting Jahangir was already on his twilight years. Nevertheless, as fans, we just have to be grateful that the game of squash was endowed with these two great players. One thing is certain though and that is probably we have yet to see someone who’ll be at par with what these two athletes have accomplished so far.
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