Cheongju (South Korea): The Indian men’s team, led by the seasoned Saurav Ghosal, clinched its first-ever gold at the Asian Squash Team Championships with a 2-0 win over Kuwait in the final here on Friday.
Star player Ghosal sealed the victory after Ramit Tandon had given India the lead with a fluent straight games win over Ali Aramezi (11-5, 11-7, 11-4).
Ghosal then made short work of Ammar Altamimi 11-9, 11-2, 11-3 to give the team an unassailable lead.
The third match between Abhay Singh and Falah Mohammad was not played as the tie had been decided following wins for Tandon and Ghosal.
Having finished with the silver medal on two previous occasions, the Indian men, seeded one, justified its billing and emerged victorious with a dominant performance.
They topped Pool A with an all-win record, recording victories over Qatar, Pakistan, Kuwait, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei 3-0 before edging out Malaysia 2-1 in the semifinal.
The women’s team settled for the bronze medal after losing 1-2 to Malaysia in the semi-finals
The women’s Indian team finished second in Pool B with two wins and a loss. The women beat Iran and Singapore 3-0 before going down 0-3 to Hong Kong in the preliminary phase.
Results: Men: Final: India beat Kuwait 2-0 (Ramit Tandon beat Ali Aramezi 11-5, 11-7, 11-4; Saurav Ghosal beat Ammar Altamimi 11-9, 11-2, 11-3).
