The Indian men’s basketball team remained unbeaten in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament Asia 2023, defeating Indonesia 90-74 on Sunday at the Al-Fayhaa Sports Arena in Damascus, Syria. With this win, India has joined Bahrain atop the Olympic pre-qualifiers basketball points table, with four points from two games. On Saturday, India defeated Syria 85-74 in their first encounter.
Indonesia’s highest scorers were Marques Terrell Bolden (23 points) and Yudha Saputera (17 points), while no other Indonesian player scored more than seven points.
The Indian basketball players, on the other hand, delivered an all-around team performance, with Muin Bek Hafeez (15 points), Sahaij Sekhon (14 points), Arvind Kumar Muthu Krishnan (13 points), and Pranav Prince (12 points) leading the way.
Indonesia, which defeated Kazakhstan 91-82 in their opening game, jumped up to a 4-0 lead in the first minute. Muin Bek Hafeez, an Indian forward, made a steal followed by a pair of assists to help India win 10 points in a row.
India, which is now ranked 82nd in the FIBA world rankings, has not looked back since. Arvind Kumar, Muthu Krishnan, and Pranav Prince all contributed as India entered the second quarter with a nine-point advantage. With five minutes remaining before halftime, Indonesia cut the deficit to six points.
Three-pointers from Indian basketball captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Arvind Kumar Muthu Krishnan, though, put Indonesia’s comeback at bay. India led at the halftime break 50-35. The third quarter was tense, but the Indians were able to maintain their 15-point lead.
India surrendered early points in the fourth quarter, like it did in the encounter against Syria on Saturday. With less than five minutes remaining, Indonesia cut India’s advantage to ten points, but Vishesh Bhriguvanshi’s all-around performance studded with assists and rebounds enabled India win 90-74.
Six basketball teams compete in the Asian phase of the Olympic pre-qualifiers basketball competition for the Paris 2024 Games: India, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Syria. On Monday, India will face Kazakhstan, ranked 65th in the world. Kazakhstan is the tournament’s top-ranked team, however they were defeated by Indonesia in their first match before falling to Bahrain earlier in the day.
Featured Image: FIBA