JOIN USThe Indian women, who qualified for the championship with an all-win record two years ago at Incheon in South Korea, will be up against top Asian teams. The hosts have been clubbed with multiple champions South Korea and China, besides front-runners Chinese-Taipei, 1970 champions Japan and Thailand.
The Indians would be under pressure to retain their position in the Level-1 championship that concludes on Wednesday. The top three teams will get an automatic entry into the 2010 World Championship.
India begin their campaign on Thursday against South Korea, followed by games against Chinese-Taipei (Friday), China (Saturday), Thailand (Monday) and Japan (Tuesday).
The experienced Geetu Anna Jose will spearhead India’s campaign. The 24-year old Geetu was the top scorer at Incheon, averaging 32.8 points per game and 14.8 rebounds that saw India winning all their six matches to qualify for Level-1.
South Korea, the 22-time winners and defending champions, start out as the overwhelming favourites along with China.
The Level-2 competition, running concurrently, will see Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and The Philippines in action.