As top seed, Abhay Singh won the war of attrition against Noor Zaman for the highest prize of his career. India reclaimed the Asian Games squash gold medal with a 2-1 victory against Pakistan on Saturday. (Medal Tally | Schedule | Full Coverage | Sports News)
Before the event began, the Indian men's team was projected to return to the top of the podium after an eight-year absence, with Malaysia and Pakistan, the sport's former powerhouses, as its major competitors.
On their route to victory, the Saurav Ghosal-led team defeated both opponents.
The victory against Pakistan in the final followed a setback to the arch-rivals in the league stage.
Zaman ranked 113, had defeated world number 69 Abhay earlier this week, and for the majority of the match on Saturday, it appeared like Pakistan would win again.
With the final tied at 1-1 after Ghosal and Nasir Iqbal won their respective singles, the gold medal was going to be determined in the match between Abhay, 25, and teenager Zaman.
Zaman led 9-7 in the fourth game and had two match balls at 10-8 in the last game, but the Indian came back for a stunning victory. 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10 was the final score.
"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.
Players' athleticism was impressive, as the tournament included amazing rallies and victories. Zaman had the younger legs but made more unforced errors than his opponent.
"Given the circumstances, it was undoubtedly the biggest win of Abhay's career," said Ghosal, India's highest-ranked player at 19.
Abhay, who went professional in 2017, is little recognised, but that should change after Saturday. After tying the game at 2-2, it was evident that he didn't require any instruction from his teammates. He understood what we were doing in his first Asian Games.
It was a difficult defeat for the young Zaman, who was spotted sobbing after a 64-minute marathon.
Abhay's heroics came after veteran Ghosal dragged the Indians back into the game with an 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 victory over Muhammad Asim Khan.
Iqbal Nasir defeated Mahesh Mangaonkar 8-11, 2-11, 3-11.
India last won a men's team squash gold medal in the 2014 Incheon Games, while Pakistan last won gold in Guanzhou in 2010.
Ghosal, who is competing in his sixth Asian Games, will now concentrate on earning his first gold medal in the solo discipline, having previously won three bronze medals and a silver medal in singles since Busan 2002.
(With PTI inputs)
