In maiden FIBA World Cup journey, India aim to ace Syria test

BENGALURU: Qualification to the World Cup maybe a distant dream, but for India's finest basketball players, their historic debut in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers will be the perfect platform for them to gain valuable international experience.
A month-long preparatory camp, according to coach Zoran Visic, was never enough to make up for the lack of match fitness due to the absence of a national league in India.And the result against Lebanon in the opening Group 'C' fixture on Thursday gave a glimpse of it. Outclassed 72-107 by the extremely cohesive Lebanese team, India will now look to eke out a win against the weakest team in the group - Syria - at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Sunday.
Clubbed along with Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, India will play home-and-away games until July 2018 and need to finish among the top three in the group to advance to the second round.
Progression from the second round - which may see India go up against heavyweights such as China, South Korea and New Zealand - to the World Cup may be unlikely, but a return to world-class competition 37 years after their historic appearance at the 1980 Moscow World Cup is an achievement to cherish.
Ranked 64 in the world, India could face a stern challenge from the Syrians, who had beaten the hosts 87-78 at the FIBA Asia Cup in August. It was a campaign to forget for India, coupled with the horror of blowing away a 51-35 half-time lead against Syria and succumb to their defeat.
"Syria plays good zone basketball. When we faced them at the Asia Cup, we gave away too many turnovers. We need to control the pace of the action." Visic said. "They are a strong team, physically and mentally. The players have had their problems with war, but they have stayed focused on basketball despite all that."
In the absence of their two best players - Amjyot Singh and Vishesh Bhriguvanshi - India will look to their bigs, Satnam Singh Bhamara and Amritpal Singh, to deliver. The duo had a quiet game against Lebanon but pack enough international experience to lead India's charge on Sunday.
"Yes their absence is a concern but the Lebanon game was good preparation for us. Our boys have good potential," Visic said. "Our advantage is under the basket, playing more inside the paint and converting from layups."