India wins double gold at South Asian Beach Games 3x3 Basketball in Sri Lanka

It was double success for India’s 3-on-3 (3x3) basketball teams at the 1st South Asian Beach Games (SABG) in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday, as both the Indian Men and Women won the gold medal after defeating Sri Lanka and Maldives in their respective finals. Both of India’s basketball squads finished the three-day competition undefeated, with 4-0 records.

Although real Beach Basketball is played on sand, the competition at the SABG showcased an outdoor version of the 3x3 basketball format, a modified version of the game which is played in the half-court. Each team is allowed just three players on the court and the 10-minute game can only go up to a maximum of 21 points.

In the Men’s final, Sri Lanka took a confident start, but India quickly fought back and held on to a three point lead at halftime. Behind eight points by Jagdeep Singh, India extended their lead to clinch the win, 21-16.

Earlier, on Sunday and Monday, India’s Men’s side had won all three of their group games, defeating Maldives, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

India also dominated the women’s final, defeating Maldives by 17-7 on Tuesday evening. India’s Women’s side had also won all their earlier games on the previous two days, defeating Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Final Standings

Men

1. India
2. Sri Lanka
3. Maldives

Women

1. India
2. Maldives
3. Sri Lanka

India to take part in Middle Asia Zone Qualifying Round against SAARC teams in Delhi

The Indian Senior Men’s Basketball team has been pooled with Sri Lanka as they prepare to take part in the Middle Asia Zone Qualifying Round against SAARC teams at the Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi, from July 13-15. The winner of this five-team qualifier event will qualify for the 26th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship which will be held in Wuhan (China) between Asia’s 16 best basketball teams from September 15-25.

Pool A: India, Sri Lanka
Pool B: Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan

India will play a maximum of three games in this round – these qualifiers will also be the first chance for India’s new American basketball coach, Kenny Natt, to see his team perform in competitive matches against international opposition. Natt, a former NBA coach, has been holding camp with the Senior Probables team for about a month at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi.

The final 12-man roster for India that will take part in this competition will be released tomorrow.

The qualifiers will be held in a league-cum-knockout basis. Two teams from each pool will qualify for the Semi-Finals. Here is the schedule of the games:

Match 1 - July 13 - 9:00 AM - Nepal vs. Bhutan

Match 2 - July 13 - 5:00 PM - India vs. Sri Lanka

Match 3 - July 13 - 7:00 PM - Bhutan vs. Bangladesh

Match 4 - July 14 - 9:00 AM - Bangladesh vs. Nepal

Semi-Final - Match 5 - July 14 - 5:00 PM - Pool A Winner vs. Pool B Runner-Up

Semi-Final - Match 6 - July 14 - 7:00 PM - Pool B Winner vs. Pool A Runner-Up

Hard Line - Match 7 - July 15 - 3:00 PM - L/O Match 5 vs. L/O Match 6

Final - Match 8 - July 15 - 5:00 PM - W/O Match 5 vs. W/O Match 6

The winner from these qualifiers will be slotted in ‘Group A’ of the 26th FIBA Asia Championship, along with Lebanon, Malaysia, and Korea.

Indian basketball team at South Asian Games

The South Asian games, being held at Bangladesh this year, were inaugurated yesterday at their capital city of Dhaka. Along with hosts Bangladesh, the other participating countries are India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, and Afghanistan.



India is sending a contingent of 331 athletes, and will be taking part in all of the 23 sports, except, funnily, T-20 cricket! They are the overwhelming favourites for the competition.

The basketball team for this tournament is being led by Varanasi boy Vishesh Bhriguvanshi:

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi of the Indian Railways will lead the men’s National basketball team that will take part in the SAF Games that got underway today at Dhaka, Bangladesh.
For the Dhaka meet, the players had been training attending the national coaching camp from January at SAI Bangalore.
According to Basketball Federation of India (BFI) secretary general, Harish Sharma, the team is a blend of youth and experience, and should deliver the goods.

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Captain), Yadwinder Singh, Prakash Mishra, Arjun Singh (all Indian Railways), Talwinderjeet Singh, Jagdeep Singh (both Punjab), S Robinson, Hareesh Koroth, Vineeth Revi (all Tamil Nadu), Mihir Pandey, Trideep Rai (both Uttarakhand) and Kiran Pal (Chattisgarh.
Aleksandar Bucan (head coach), Mohit Bhandari (assistant coach)
Suryaveer Singh Shekhwat (manager).