The Indian basketball team was beaten 81-57 by Saudi Arabia in its second match of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored a game-high 24 points for Saudi Arabia, while Kanwar Sandhu was India’s top scorer with 19 points.
Ali Shubayli got the scoreboard ticking with a layup and a three-pointer to give Saudi Arabia a solid start.
A Prince Pranav jump shot and a Palpreet Singh Brar layup got India going, but Saudi Arabia responded with seven unanswered points and closed the first quarter with a 19-9 lead.
The visitors tightened their grip on the contest in the second quarter with Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scoring 11 points to help give the Saudis a 43-21 lead at half-time.
The third quarter proved decisive as Saudi Arabia surged ahead with 25 points, while India managed only 15, widening the gap.
Saudi Arabia kept their foot on the pedal in the final quarter and picked up points consistently, shutting the door on any possible Indian comeback. The visitors wrapped up a comfortable win and registered their second victory over India in four days.
They had beaten India 75-51 in their opening match of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers at the Riyadh Green Hall on Thursday.
The Indian basketball team will take on Qatar in their next game during the second window of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers on February 27.
A total of 80 teams from four FIBA regions – Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe as well as the Americas – are competing across the six qualifying windows.
India are one of 16 teams that are competing in the FIBA Asia and Oceania qualifiers. They have been clubbed in Group D along with Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
