Kerala’s Prince helps India secure perfect record in FIBA 3X3 Asia Cup qualifiers

Indian men were in sublime form in the qualifying rounds of the FIBA 3X3 Asia Cup with a perfect 3-0 record to enter the main draw on Wednesday.

India defeated Kazakhstan, 20-18, Hong Kong, 19-18, before drubbing Bahrain, 21-12, in their qualifying group D games in Singapore.

India have entered pool D, where they face continental powerhouses New Zealand and Qatar, with both games set to be played on April 3.

Pranav Prince, the only Malayali in the squad, was impressive as usual by scoring 14 points throughout the qualifiers, including an impressive nine points in the narrow win over Kazakhstan in the first game.

Harsh Dagar was the star performer, bagging 21 points from the three qualifying games, of which 15 came in the decisive win over Bahrain.

Arvind Muthukrishnan and Kushal Singh, the other members of the team, were equally effective with contributions of 14 and 12 points respectively in the qualifiers.

Indian women will play their qualifying draw games on April 2, against Malaysia and Turkmenistan. Kerala's Sreekala Rani is part of the four-member team.