India made history at the 16th Asian team squash championship, as it reached the final in both the men's and women's section in Kuwait.
The Indian women will square off against Hong Kong in the finals while the men will take on arch rival Pakistan in the title clash.
Starting the day on a positive note, the Indian women overwhelmed their Korean counterparts 2-0 in the semifinals to book a berth in the final.
Anaka Alankmony set the ball rolling as she overcame Yang Yeon Soo 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-2 before Dipika Pallikal crushed Song Sun Mi in straight sets. The 19-year-old from Chennai won 11-7, 11-8, 11-2.
In the men's category, Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu started the Indian campaign in style, easing past Kuwait's Salem Fayez Mohammed 12-10, 11-9, 11-7.
Harinder kept his composure to contain an extremely aggressive Salem, who was egged on by his cheering countrymen.
Both players displayed superb retrieving abilities but Harinder kept his nerve to finish the match with a straight set victory.
India's number one Saurav Ghosal then beat Abdullah Al Muzayen in a gruelling four-setter to help his country enter the finals.
Ghosal lived up to his billing as he outwitted the prodigious Abdullah Al Muzayen 12-10 12-14 11-9 11-7.
The Indian played to a precise plan of pinning Al Muzayen to his weaker backhand side, although the Kuwaiti displayed his characteristic finishing shots to the delight of the gallery, Ghosal banked on his experience to neutralise him.
“This is a remarkable performance, we are very proud of our players,” national coach Cyrus Poncha said.
India's best performance in the men's team championship was a silver medal in the inaugural edition of the tournament held in 1981 in Karachi.
The best result for the women, meanwhile, was a silver medal performance at the last championship held in 2010 at Chennai.
The results: Girls: India 2 bt Korea 0 (Anaka Alankmony bt Yang Yeon Soo 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-2; Dipika Pallikal bt Song Sun Mi 11-7 11-8 11-2). Boys: India 2 bt Kuwait 0 (Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu bt Salem Fayez Mohammed 12-10, 11-9, 11-7; Saurav Ghosal bt Abdullah Al Muzayen 12-10, 12-14, 11-9, 11-7).
