LAHORE: Pakistan defeated its arch-rival India 3-2 to claim 7th place in the Asian Senior Volleyball Championship in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday, according to results published by the Pakistan Volleyball Federation.
The set points were 25-23, 25-21, 20-25, 19-25, 15-6.
Pakistan won seventh place in a 16-team competition and, as a result, the country has also qualified for the Olympic qualification tournament in which eight top teams of this event will compete in China in January 2020.
In the quarterfinals, Pakistan lost to one of Australia's giant 2-3 teams. Australia has qualified for the final of the event.
Against India, Aimal Khan and Mubashar Raza of Pakistan played an outstanding game. With his fierce attack, Aimal shattered the Indian's defense while Mubashar exhibited an excellent defense and also earned points in crucial stages.
Meanwhile, President PVF Ch. Mohammad Yaqoob said the performance against Australia was encouraging, although Pakistan lost it by a narrow margin. And against India, he said, the victory was dignified as the arch-rival was spending a large budget on his national team.
Yaqoob said that many countries had contacted Aimal to play in their professional leagues. Aimal, he said, had received an offer of Rs7 to 8 million for a three-month league. It should be noted that several Pakistani players such as Murad, Mubashar and Wasim are already playing the league in different countries. He appealed to the Pakistan Sports Board to continue the contract with the South Korean coach of the Pakistan team, as the team has gradually improved after its induction. He said it was also important to keep it, since Sri Lanka and India with foreign coaches would be Pakistan's closest rivals in the next South Asian Games to be held in Nepal in December this year.
Posted on Dawn, September 22, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1506591/pakistan-beat-india-3-2-finish-seventh-in-asian-volleyball