Abhay Singh, with the match and the gold medal on the line, was two points away from defeat in the fourth game to Pakistan's Noor Zaman. He took it to the fifth game, where he was down two match points. In both those moments, in a game against your arch-rivals, some may have crumbled to the pressure. But not Abhay: He won four straight points from 7-9 down in the fourth game to force the fifth game and then won four straight points from 8-10 down in the fifth to win India their tenth gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games - the squash men's team gold - and only India's second Asiad gold in the sport.
Abhay's match was a fitting way to end a tie that had no shortage of drama. It began in the first match between Mahesh Mangaonkar and Nasir Iqbal, which Pakistan won, then subsided as Saurav Ghosal brushed aside Muhammad Asim Khan, and then made its presence felt in almost every point of the decider.
Demanding an in-match massage from your opponent, leaning against the glass wall in the classic Bollywood hero's distress pose, and some of the most exaggerated expressions of surprise you will see. This was as much a movie as it was a squash match. There were no villains, this was a sporting encounter, but there were heroes.
The players dealt in different ways to the drama - Mahesh was consumed by it, and it felt at times like he'd forgotten he had a sport to play. "How is that a stroke," he yelled once after the referees awarded Iqbal a point. The match occasionally lapsed into contact sport, with both players pushing and running into each other's backs. At one point, Iqbal fell to the floor after a clash, felt a significant impact on his right hand, and then reached it out towards Mahesh asking for a massage.
The Indian was rattled by the noise, and then lost his touch as well; 6-3 up in the first game, he won only 8 of the next 27 points to leave his teammates no margin for error.
That's what a nice commercial movie does though - stack the cards against the protagonist, and then watch him prevail. As circumstances would have it, Abhay was the hero in the end, but he had his trusted support act in Ghosal, to set up his moment of glory.
That match between Ghosal and Asim Khan was that middle part where the audience gets up to refill the popcorn and cola. However, Ghosal had one job to do - to keep India in the tie - and he did so with clinical precision. After being 0-4 down in the first game, he reeled in 33 of the next 38 points.
Time for the climax but first, a flashback: earlier this week, Zaman had beaten Abhay when Pakistan beat India 2-1 in the pool-stage match. This script was writing itself.
Abhay started well and looked like he was controlling proceedings in winning the first game 11-7. But it isn't an Indian movie if the climax is plain sailing for the protagonist. Zaman roared back and found himself two points away from victory. Only for the inevitable twist in the hero's favour.
And when, somehow, by the skin of his teeth, he won the final point to secure the gold medal, he flung his racquet high, let out a primal roar, and then saw his teammate Harinder Pal Sandhu climbing on to the glass and into the court. Picture all of those in slow motion shots, you'll see why it fits in the movie business.
At the end of the day, in between the drama, a game of squash was played. India had just beaten Pakistan 2-1. All's well that ends well. This movie even had its happy song - except it was played at the end, not the beginning. The National Anthem.