India climbs 7 ranks in FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Smart Power Rankings
In the second phase of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, India faced Qatar and Kazakhstan in their games at home in Chennai. Coming into this phase, India ranked 20th in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Window 1 and had lost both their games as well.
They suffered a 63-50 defeat to Kazakhstan before crashing to another heavy defeat (86-53) against Iran in Group E. While they lost against Qatar in the second phase, a solid victory against Kazakhstan not only gave them their first win but also helped them make a significant jump in the rankings.
As a result of their 19-point win over Kazakhstan, India has now moved up by seven ranks in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers power rankings. They are now ranked 13th and have moved up from the 20th spot before the start of the second window.
Australia is at the top of the rankings, followed by Philippines, Lebanon, Japan, and China at second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Jordan is ranked sixth while New Zealand, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth, respectively.
Iran are ranked eleventh with Chinese Taipei at twelfth, India at thirteenth, Thailand at fourteenth, Guam at fifteenth, and Bahrain in sixteenth place. With their first win against Kazakhstan in 27 years and their first FIBA game win in three years, India has made a significant jump, moving up in the latest rankings.
How did India fare at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers second phase?
In the second phase of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, India played both its matches at home against Qatar and Kazakhstan.
First up, they faced Qatar, where they lost 69-53. Skipper Muin Bek Hafeez put up a solid show with 17 points while Pranav Prince (13 points) and Pratap Singh (7 points) made key contributions despite the defeat.
With three successive defeats in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, India had their backs against the wall. However, they recorded a tremendous comeback against Kazakhstan to bag their maiden victory in the qualifiers.
The side registered an 88-69 win as Kanwar Sandhu (17 points), Pranav Prince (17 points), Amjyot Singh (15 points), and Sahaij Sekhon (12 points) put up solid performances.
India is now placed third in Group E with five points and one win from four games. They are behind Qatar, and Iran with Kazakhstan taking the fourth spot.