Pakistan crush India 3-0 to storm into Asian Games volleyball semi-finals

Pakistan produced a commanding performance to beat arch-rivals India 3-0 and march into the semi-finals of the Asian Games men’s volleyball quarter-final at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium on Thursday.

Pakistan won 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, beating India at the Asian Games for the second straight edition and ending India’s run in the competition.

Murad Khan was the standout for Pakistan with a match-high 22 points, while Usman Faryad Ali added nine. Mohammad Hamad chipped in with eight and Musawer Khan contributed seven. Captain Murad Jehan also got on the scoresheet with four points.

Pakistan, ranked 39th in the world to India’s 49th, arrived having beaten Kazakhstan 3-1 and Uzbekistan 3-0 before a straight-sets defeat to hosts Japan in their final pool match, finishing runners-up in Pool A.

The result arrived despite India entering the knockout stage unbeaten, having swept Vietnam and Hong Kong 3-0 before surviving a five-set, three-hour marathon against Qatar to top Pool C.

Pakistan set the tone early, taking the opening set 25-19 in just 23 minutes. India struggled to contain Pakistan’s attack throughout the first set, managing a spike success rate of just 41 per cent compared to Pakistan’s 70 per cent.

The second set was the contest’s turning point. Both sides traded points to 9-9 before Pakistan edged two clear, only for India to claw their way back to 13-13. India then seized the initiative, moving ahead 15-13 and stretching the lead to three at 16-13.

Pakistan responded, pulling two back and levelling at 16-16, but India restored their three-point cushion at 19-16 and looked set to take the set.

Pakistan had other ideas. A three-point burst levelled the score at 19-19, and from there Pakistan took control on their own serve to move 21-19 ahead.

India refused to fold, pulling to 22-20 and 23-21, but Pakistan answered each time before reaching set point at 24-22. India saved the first, but Pakistan converted the second to take the set 25-23 after 34 minutes.

The stats told the story of Pakistan’s growing grip on the match. Pakistan’s reception improved 22-24 in the second set, and their digging was sharper, keeping rallies alive and forcing India into errors.

The third set was one-way traffic. Pakistan opened the scoring and raced to a three-point lead before India got on the board. India briefly narrowed the gap to 3-2 and 6-4, but Pakistan pulled away to 8-4, then 14-9, and then 17-10. The lead swelled to seven points as Pakistan dominated at the net and in defence.

Pakistan moved to match point at 24-16. India saved two match points, but Pakistan made no mistake on the third, closing out the set 25-18 in 25 minutes to complete a comprehensive victory.

Players from both sides shook hands at the net once the match ended.

With the win, Pakistan advance to the semi-finals, keeping their medal hopes alive at the Asian Games.