BENGALURU: The Indian men's basketball team left for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Monday with just one mission on their mind — qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup 2021. It is their final chance to book a berth for the top continental competition.
They are placed in Group H of the qualifying tournament, which also includes Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Top two teams are set to qualify for the 16-nation tournament, scheduled in Indonesia next year.
India advanced into this qualifying tournament after finishing third in Group D in the earlier qualifying rounds, which concluded in February. India announced their 12-member squad on Saturday and have a decent chance of making it to the Asia Cup.
The Indian team, despite possessing some young players, will look for their experienced men, including Amjyot Singh, Amritpal Singh and captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, to deliver the goods. The 25-year-old hoopster, Muin Bek Hafeez, also impressed in the qualifying rounds and one expects a similar show this time around from the point guard.
Throw in Aravind Annadurai and NBA Academy India alumni in the form of Arvind Kumar, Pranav Prince and Prashant Singh Rawat, they resemble a strong squad. It remains to be seen how head coach Veselin Matic can get the best out of his players.
However, it is not going to be a walk in the park for Matic and his men. India (78) might be slightly higher ranked than Palestine (83) and Saudi Arabia (87), but playing the latter at their home could be a challenge. Basketball Federation of India Chandermukhi Sharma is quite positive about India's chances.
"The team has been training quite regularly and I am hopeful that they will qualify (for Asia Cup). If you look at the team, which has been picked, there are some good youngsters in the 12-member squad. And also, Amjyot, Amritpal and Vishesh are our most experienced players at the international level too so they should do well," Sharma told this daily.
India will face Saudi Arabia and Palestine on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Squad: Muin Bek Hafeez, Aravind Annadurai, Arvind Kumar Muthu Krishnan, Jagdeep Singh, Amjyot Singh, Amritpal Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (c), Prashant Singh Rawat, Joginder Singh, Sahaij Pratap Singh Sekhon, Pratyanshu Tomar and Pranav Prince. Head Coach: Veselin Matic.