The Indian men and women teams bounced back from their respective losses to reach the the semifinals of the the Asian Squash Championship on Friday.
The loss to Japan on Thursday had the men dropping their heads but all that changed after a comprehensive 2-0 win over the higher seeded Malaysia in the quarterfinal.
Both Kush Kumar and Harinder Pal Sandhu lifted their games and played outstandingly according to national coach Cyrus Poncha.
It was Kush, who entered the court first and straightway went into a tight line and length in his drives and returns. Inspiring confidence and giving his team mates enough to cheer Kush went from strength to strength to demolish his opponent Mohammad Kamal in straight games.
There was tension still as Harinder went in next. After his not too assuring show against Japan, the captain needed to show his mettle and that is exactly what he did.
Never having beaten Ivan Yuen in the previous five times the two had met, the odds stacked in the Malaysian's favour. The higher-ranked Ivan, however, has been having a rough time in this championship and Harinder made the most of his rival's poor form.
Only in the third game when on 10-6, did Harinder look unsure and gave Ivan the opportunity to catch up. But the Indian bounced back in time to grab that game on extended points and in the process the match too amidst all round cheers.
India now face Pakistan in the semifinal.
The women too after the loss to Malaysia earlier needed to do well.
However, it was an easy outing against Sri Lanka and returned 3-0 winners to finish second in the group. Indian women now face top seeds Hong Kong in the criss-cross semi-final.
Indian Men, Women Teams in Semifinals of Asian Squash
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The Indian men's team beat Malaysia in the quarterfinal while the women outclassed Sri Lanka to move into the semifinals of the Asian Squash Championship
Indian men's captain Harinder Singh Sandhu beat higher-ranked Ivan Yuen of Malaysia.© AFP
Highlights
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Indian men's and women's team reached the semis of Asian Squash
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Men's team beat Malaysia in the quarters
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The women's team thrashed Sri Lanka to enter the semis