The Indian men’s basketball team shocked mighty China in their second round Group E match to stay in contention for a last-eight berth at the Fiba Asia Challenge in Tehran on Tuesday.
The Indian men’s basketball team shocked mighty China in their second round Group E match to stay in contention for a last-eight berth at the Fiba Asia Challenge in Tehran on Tuesday.
India pulled off a 70-64 win to hand the group toppers their first defeat. This was India’s second triumph in four matches and they are currently third in the group.
India need to finish amongst the top four to enter the quarter-final stage and take on Kazakhstan in their final group encounter on Wednesday.
India had outplayed China two years ago at the Fiba Asia Cup. Amritpal Singh, who carried the team to the momentous victory with a superb all-round performance, was the hero of Monday’s triumph.
China were ahead 17-14 after the first quarter, putting up a lead that stood at nine points in the middle of the second period.
However, India scripted a turnaround from there. With China leading 27-18 in the second quarter, India tightened up their defence and went on the offensive, according to a Fiba release.
Amritpal and Amjyot paired up to spark a 13-2 run that ended the first half 31-29 to hand India a slim two-point advantage at the break. The Chinese could not take back the lead after that.
The Indian defence was impeccable and forced the Chinese into committing errors.
India scored 22 points off turnovers.
The 25-year-old Amritpal who plays professionally in Japan, recorded 23 points, hauled down 14 rebounds, blocked three shots and had three steals in a fantastic show of skill. He outplayed China’s erstwhile star Hu Jinqiu, who managed 19 points and nine boards.
