India to begin FIBA Asia Cup campaign against New Zealand

The Cagers finished fourth in 1975 which is their best performance at the tournament.

The 30th edition of the FIBA Asia Cup kicked off today on 12th July 2022 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The continental basketball championship will take place at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno stadium. The Indian Cagers are pooled alongside New Zealand, Lebanon and Philippines in group D.

Team India will begin their campaign against the Tall Blacks (New Zealand) on 13th July. New Zealand are making only their second appearance at the tournament after joining the FIBA Asia Cup in 2017 as wildcards. The Tall Blacks finished 4th in the previous edition losing to South Korea in the third-place match.

The Indian Cagers on the other hand are making their 26th appearance at the tournament. The team finished 14th in the 2017 edition and their best finish was 4th place back in 1975. India qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 after finishing second in their group in round 2. The Tall Blacks sealed their spot in round 1 itself.

The two teams met earlier this year in February at the Asia World Cup qualifiers. On both occasions, the Tall Blacks won comfortably with score-lines of 101-46 and 95-60. India will be looking to improve their performance this time around but face a stern test with captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, currently injured. All eyes will be on Amritpal Singh who impressed in the qualifying tournament with an average of 19.5 points per game. Kushal Singh, who was named in the All-Star Five team of the recently concluded FIBA U-16 Asian Championship has also been selected for the tournament. The 17-year-old has now made the U16, U18 and the senior men’s team in a span of one year.

While New Zealand walk into the fixture as favourites, India will aim to reduce the deficit from the games in February. Teams finishing first in their groups make the quarter-finals directly while second and third placed teams move to the play-off round.

India’s schedule at the FIBA Asia Cup 2022:

India vs New Zealand – 13th July – 9:30 am IST

India vs Philippines – 15th July – 1:00 pm IST

India vs Lebanon – 17th July – 9:30 am IST

Fans can watch the matches live on the Court 1891 website, accessible from the FIBA official website.

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