Indian cagers look to make a mark

The Indian cagers will hope to make their presence felt when they begin their campaign at the FIBA Asia Cup at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Beirut, Lebanon from Tuesday.

The Amjyot Singh Gill led side will face three-times Asian champions Iran on their opening Group A tie, followed by games against Jordan (August 11) and Syria (August 13).

The timely return of vastly experienced Vishesh Bhriguvanshi from an injury sustained during the BRICS Games in China along with the addition of Satnam Singh, the first Indian to be drafted in the NBA, will provide much needed boost to the squad.

Defending champions China will be a strong favourite to retain their title while Australia and New Zealand, who will participate for the first time following the inclusion of the Oceania teams in the event, are expected to give the Chinese, a run for their money.

A total of 16 teams will compete for the top honours. The top three teams from each group will advance to the second phase, where they will be divided into two groups of six teams each (Groups E and F).

The top four teams from each of these groups will advance to the quarterfinals.

India squad: Amjyot Singh Gill (captain), Anil Kumar, Rajvir Singh, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Amritpal Singh, Rikin Pethani, Baladhaneshwar P, Venkatesh Prasanna, Satnam Singh, Muin Bek Hafeez, Talwinder Singh.

Grouping: Group A: India, Iran, Jordan, Syria. Group B: Iraq, China, Philippines, Qatar;
Group C: Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Korea, New Zealand
Group D: Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Australia.