FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers: India Face 51-pt Drubbing at the Hands of Iran
Playing in Tehran, India lost 106-55 to the Asian heavyweights, and will next face Qatar on February 24.
Tehran, 21 February 2025: The Indian men’s basketball team was completely dominated by the Islamic Republic of Iran at Tehran's Azadi Basketball Hall. Iran beat India by a whopping 106-55 scoreline, in a game that saw the home team’s Mohammad Amini deliver an outstanding performance, leading all players with an efficiency rating of +41.
After beating Kazakhstan in the second window, team India started confident and matched Iran’s momentum in the first quarter, which ended 18-15 for Iran. However, the home side threw the second quarter wide open after they started on the defensive and limited India to only five points in the second, increasing the lead to 26 points.
Dejected and Defeated
By the start of the third quarter, India looked dejected. Although dynamic forward Pranav Prince showed flashes of brilliance, he also committed one too many personal fouls. Veteran Amritpal Singh was India’s most efficient player and added 18 points to the scoreboard, with two rebounds and one steal.
The much-anticipated comeback of Joginder Singh Saharan left the Indian fans once again questioning his selection choice. In his four minutes on the court, he raked up neither an assist nor a rebound.
India tried to make a comeback in the final quarter with three-pointers from Arvind Muthu Krishnan, Kanwar Sandhu, Pranav Prince, and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi. Despite a better offensive effort from India, contributing 22 points, Iran sealed their victory with an additional 27 points.
The Journey Forward
India fell to 1-4 following the loss, which saw the team commit 29 turnovers, making their next meeting against Qatar in Doha on February 24 a must-win situation if they are to stay in contention for a direct qualification spot in the 2025 Asia Cup.
Iran (Mohammad Amini 33 pts & 7 reb, Matin Aghajanpour 18 pts, Arsalan Kazemi 10 reb & 5 ast) bt India (Amritpal Singh 18 pts, Pranav Prince 9 pts, Muin Bek 4 ast) 106-55 [18-15, 28-5, 33-13, 27-22]
Next Game for India: vs Qatar on February 24, 2025 (Doha) - 8:30 PM IST
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