Vishesh stars in India win

India made the most of their size advantage against a smaller Nepal team and scored majority of their points in the paint while opening a 19-point lead in the first quarter. India’s veteran shooting guard Vishesh Bhriguvanshi continued his scoring spree as he tallied 22 points in the encounter.

Shooting guard Anil Kumar BK also chipped in with 16 points off the bench. The second half of the game saw young players Jeevanatham Pandi, Muin Bek and Vishal Kumar Gupta get some valuable playing time.

Pandi made the most of this opportunity by using his size to grab offensive rebounds and score 12 points for the team. For Nepal, Ashim Shrestha was the leading scorer with nine points as Nepal’s shooters struggled against India’s zone defence. 

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi was declared player of the match. India have now ensured qualification in the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon from August 8 to 20, and the FIBA Asia Champions Cup respectively.

Bangladesh finished second overall behind India, while Sri Lanka also stood on the podium after finishing at third place. This result makes India join the lineup of qualified teams for the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, which already includes recent SEABA kings the Philippines, Gulf champions Qatar, West Asia teams Iran, Jordan, Syria and Iraq, Oceania squads Australia and New Zealand and hosts Lebanon. India will now play Asian qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup.