The Indian men’s squash team has created history as they defeated Pakistan to clinch gold at the ongoing 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou (China).
The contest went down the wire with Abhay Singh holding his nerves to save two game points against Noor Zaman to win 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10 in the third and final contest of the final to help his team clinch the gold.
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The three-match affair saw India concede a 0-1 lead after Mahesh Mangaonkar lost to Nasir Iqbal in straight games – 8-11, 3-11, 2-11.
However, Saurav Ghoshal pulled India on level terms by producing a dominating show to brush aside Muhammad Asim 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 and forced a decider.
Overall, this is India’s second medal in squash from the games after the women’s team took bronze following their semifinal exit on Friday. India lost to Hong Kong 1-2 with Tanvi Khanna and Anahat Singh losing their singles matches.
This is India’s second gold medal of the day after the pair of Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale won the the mixed doubles tennis final.
Indian contingent has thus far won 10 gold medals.
Before the tournament began, the Indian men’s team was expected to step on the top of podium after eight years with its main challenge coming from Malaysia and Pakistan, the sport’s powerhouse in the yesteryears.
The Saurav Ghosal-led side managed to see off both the opponents on their way to glory.
The win in the final against Pakistan came after the loss to the arch-rivals in the league stage.
Zaman, ranked 113, had got the better of world number 69 Abhay in that contest earlier this week and for the major part of the match on Saturday, it looked going in Pakistan’s favour again.
With the final locked at 1-1 after Ghosal and Nasir Iqbal won their respective singles, the gold was going to be decided in the match between 25-year-old Abhay and teenager Zaman.
Zaman led 9-7 in the fourth game and had two match balls at 10-8 in the deciding game but the Indian somehow managed to turn it around for a memorable win. The final scoreline read 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10.
“We should have won three nights ago also as we were the better team. I am happy that we won today. No time for celebrations as have got matches tomorrow,” said Abhay.
The athleticism from players was remarkable as the contest involved breathtaking rallies and winners. Zaman had the younger legs but was guilty of making more unforced errors than his opponent.
“Considering the circumstances, it was surely the biggest win of Abhay’s career,” said Ghosal, the highest-ranked Indian at 19.
(With PTI Inputs)
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