FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifier: Indian men’s basketball team relies on home advantage to record first win
The Basketball Federation of India organized the first-ever preparatory camp for the team in Chennai.
New Delhi: India will be looking for their first win in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers when they take on formidable Iran in the Group E match at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, Indira Gandhi Stadium here on Monday. The Asia Cup consists of a total of 24 countries, divided into six groups, which will compete in a round-robin qualifying tournament until February next year. The Indian team will be placed in Group E of the qualifiers along with Qatar, Kazakhstan and Iran.
Last week, the national team lost in their group opener in Astana against the much higher ranked Kazakhstan. The Indian team has undergone a focused and preparatory training camp at the National Sports Center in Chennai for the first time since January ahead of the continuation of the Asia Cup qualifier.
Coached by Serbian Veselin Matic and a team of support staff consisting of strength and conditioning coaches, two physiotherapists and assistant coaches, this six-week training camp has helped players prepare well. The Coach is impressed by their competitive spirit and relies on support and conditions from home to achieve the long-awaited points table.
Led by Amritpal Singh, the Indian team had started strongly against Kazakhstan, with point guard M Arvind Kumar accounting for the bulk of the scoring and center Palpreet Singh Brar impressing at both ends of the court.
On the eve of the match, captain Amritpal Singh said: “A few lessons have been learned from the match against Kazakhstan and we are looking forward to putting our best foot forward for our supporters.”
Even though these are just the early days of the round-robin stage, the Indians would want to score as many points as possible at home and are well aware that Iran will not be an easy opponent. President of the Basketball Federation of India, Adhav Arjuna, said: “The BFI is committed to making India a formidable force in Asian basketball starting with this Asia Cup Qualifier, an important tournament in the Asian calendar to drive our progress measure and plan for the future. I am confident that the players have trained and will give their best chance in Delhi.”
Qatar is the fourth team in the group and all teams play each other home and away, with the top two teams in the group qualifying for the Asia Cup next year. The third team in the group will have another chance to qualify through the final qualifying tournament.
India team: Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, M Arvind Kumar, Muin Bek H, Pranav Prince, Amritpal Singh, Kanwar Gurbaz Singh Sandhu, Palpreet Singh, Amarendra Nayak, Vaishak K Manoj, Princepal Singh, Sahaij Pratap Singh Sekhon, P Baladaneshwar; Coach: Veselin Matic