JOIN USA depleted Indian side never stood a chance against the undefeated Jordan, who kept their record intact, securing a fighting 102-88 victory in their Group C fixture of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium here.
Early Friday morning, India suffered a major setback when NBA G-League player Amjyot Singh Gill and Amritpal Singh, who plays for Sydney Kings in Australia's NBL, were not included in the squad.
Basketball Federation of India (BFI) secretary general Chander Mukhi Sharma said their names were not listed in the final roster because the association was unsure of their participation, which the duo confirmed only after the deadline passed.
"Because they didn't play for India in the past, the trust between the selectors and them was broken. Our disciplinary committee was looking into it. So they were not on the list of 24 we initially sent to FIBA," Chander Mukhi said. "We could not be sure that they were going to be available. By the time they confirmed, it was too late to add their names. We wrote to FIBA but they replied to us yesterday afternoon stating that they could not play," he added.
India's captain Satnam Singh Bhamara tried his best to inspire the side, starring with 20 points, which included four thunderous dunks. He also assisted eight times and grabbed 10 rebounds. Centre Aravind Annadurai wasn't too far behind, with a game-high 28 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
However, the star of the day was Jordanian Mohammad Shaher Hussain, who ruled the paint with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Guards Dar Tucker and Mahmoud Abdeen too made their presence felt, adding 18 points each.
Despite Satnam's excellent performance up front, India's poor organisation at the back left them trailing 20-26 after the first quarter. Satnam was unstoppable, slamming three dunks, to score 10 points. Shaher was equally effective for the Jordanians, netting nine points and grabbing five rebounds, to rally his side back from 10-18 after six minutes to finish the quarter on top.
Jordan took the game away from the Indians in the next 10 minutes, stretching their lead by 13 points at the half-time hooter (51-38). The game suffered an unexpected delay when Satnam rocked the house with an earth-shattering dunk, which moved the rig sideways, forcing the referees to stop the play for nearly 10 minutes.
India resumed with a positive intent but the Jordanians kept the scoreboard ticking through Shaher, Tucker and Abdeen to stay ahead. However, at the end of the third quarter, India managed to cut the gap to five points (61-66).
The hosts produced a late fightback but Jordan remained firm to win the game.
India will face Lebanon next on February 26.
Results: Group C: India: 88 (Aravind Annadurai 28, Satnam Singh 20) lt to Jordan: 102 (Mohammed Shaher Hussain 19, Dar Tucker 18, Mahmoud Abdeen 18)