Basketball
FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup: Indian men qualify for main draw
India remained unbeaten in the qualifying rounds, registering three victories.
Kushal Singh celebrates a point as India qualifies for 2026 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup main draw (Photo credit: FIBA Asia Cup)
The Indian men's basketball team qualified for the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup main draw for a second consecutive year, topping their qualifying round group on Wednesday.
The Indian team consisting of Pranav Prince, Harsh Dagar, Arvind Muthu, and Kushal Singh registered victories over Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, and Bahrain to top Group D and qualify for the main draw.
Led by a stellar nine points by Pranav and five points by Arvind, they started their campaign with a 20-18 win over world Kazakhstan. They trailed 14-16 in the contest, before two points from Arvind helped them level up at 18-18.
Pranav then scored two baskets to help India squeeze past the Kazakhstan in their first match of the day.
Later, India pipped Hong Kong 19-18 in a see-saw battle to assert their dominance on the points table. In a match which swung wildly between the two sides, it was a missed free throw from their opponents in the closing moments which secured a win for India.
The final match against Bahrain was possibly the most comfortable for the Indians as they cruised to a 21-12 victory. Harsh ran riot in the match, scoring 15 points. He was ably supported by Kushal, who scored four.
The win propelled India into Group A of the main draw. They'll face New Zealand and Qatar in the main draw action on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Indian women's team will begin their qualifying round campaign on Thursday. They will face Malaysia and Turkmenistan in their bid to earn a main draw slot.