India’s men’s basketball team suffered an 81-61 loss to Qatar in their final Group E match of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers on Monday. As a result, India did not secure a direct spot in the main event.
Despite being tied with Kazakhstan on seven points, India finished third in the group. This was due to their superior game points difference in head-to-head matches. India had previously defeated Kazakhstan 88-69 but lost 63-50 in their first meeting.
With this third-place finish, India will now participate in a separate qualifying tournament for the four remaining spots in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, which will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in August.
Qatar and Iran secured the top two spots in Group E, guaranteeing their places in the Asia Cup. Qatar triumphed with a strong performance led by Tyler Harris, who scored a game-high 24 points. India’s top scorer was Muin Hafeez with 12 points.
The match began with Qatar taking the lead. India responded with a 9-0 run to gain a 9-2 advantage. Though India led for most of the first quarter, Qatar closed the gap and ended the first quarter with a narrow 18-17 deficit.
In the second quarter, Qatar turned up the pressure, scoring 19 unanswered points and ending the half with a dominant 42-22 lead.
India began the third quarter strong, earning the first four points. However, Qatar managed to maintain their lead, despite being outscored by India 19-15 in the third quarter, ending it with a 59-41 advantage.
The final quarter saw Qatar extend their lead by outscoring India 22-20, securing a convincing 81-61 victory.
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