India looking to revive Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers campaign with victory in Qatar clash
Arvind Kumar Muthu Krishnan has been India’s lone bright spot, leading the squad scoring charts with 26 points so far.
Published : Nov 21, 2024 20:20 IST , CHENNAI - 3 MINS READ
Team India training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. | Photo Credit: Joan Mathew Jacob
Scott Flemming was at the helm when the Indian men’s basketball team recorded a famous victory against Asian powerhouse China in the FIBA Asia Cup 2014 in Wuhan.
10 years later, in his second spell as head coach, Flemming only has one player from that team at his disposal as he looks to rescue India’s Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers campaign when it takes on Qatar in the Group E match at the Nehru Indoor Stadium on Friday.
Successive losses to higher-ranked Iran and Kazhakstan in the first two matches in February have exposed India’s offensive struggles, with the nation last out of the 24 competitors when ranked based on points per game (PPG), averaging 51.2.
Arvind Kumar Muthu Krishnan has been the lone bright spot, leading the squad scoring charts with 26 points so far.
Qatar on the other hand, despite defeats against the same opponents, sits 11th with 71 PPG, with Mike Lewis the top scorer with 32 points.
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However, since Flemming’s reappointment in May, the team has refined its setup, bringing in former players Joginder Singh and Sambhaji Kadam as part of the coaching staff to prepare the youngsters for the international stage.
After identifying talent during his time as the Director of the NBA Academy in India (2019-24), Flemming made changes to the squad that played in February, bringing in younger hoopers Harsh Dagar, Kushal Singh and Prashant Singh Rawat.
“I know we have a young team. During the selection process, we were kind of looking at who do we need to win these two games,” Flemming told Sportstar.
“We were also trying to find players who could be really good in three or four years. So, we were kind of trying to balance that when we were selecting players,” he added.
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The team will also be boosted by the return of former NBA G-League player Amjyot Singh Gill, who was a key part of Flemming’s side during his first stint (2012-15).
In the past three months, the squad travelled to Dubai on two exposure trips as part of their training and played six matches against top-tier clubs.
India, ranked 76th in the world, has faced Qatar (101st) five times in the past, falling short on four of those occasions.
However, with international basketball returning to Chennai for the first time since the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in 2009, Flemming expressed optimism regarding India’s chances of getting its first win of the campaign, in front of a home crowd.
“The very first thing I demanded from the team was a full effort. I will not pull anyone out of the game if they make one mistake unless it has to do with effort,” Flemming said.
“I know the players have had to adapt to a new system when I came and they have really brought into the things I was preaching. We are not quite fully there yet, but we will be,” he concluded.
India will need to finish in the top two places in its group to confirm a ticket to the 16-team Finals in Saudi Arabia next August. If India finishes third, it will play another qualification round with the other five third-placed teams to fill the four remaining slots.