The Indian Men Basketball Team is officially en route to Doha, Qatar, for a series of exposure friendly games that could prove pivotal for their preparations ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in Jeddah.
On the surface, this may seem like just another international tour but in reality, these games represent a far deeper effort to transform India from perennial participants to genuine contenders on the Asian basketball circuit.
A Journey Forged Through Challenge
India’s road to the Asia Cup has been anything but smooth. The team had to claw its way through a turbulent qualification campaign marked by early losses, a midstream change in coaching leadership, and a final do-or-die qualifying window that tested its resilience to the limit. The turning point came when Scott Flemming, returning for his second stint as India’s head coach, steadied a faltering squad that was on the brink of missing out.
After early defeats against Kazakhstan and Iran that threatened to derail India’s campaign, a landmark win against Kazakhstan in Chennai reignited hope, breaking a 16-game FIBA losing streak and keeping India’s Asia Cup dream alive. The final qualifying round in Bahrain delivered the redemption arc hard-fought victories over Iraq and Bahrain secured India’s 11th straight Asia Cup appearance and a ticket to the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers.
Why Doha Matters
This context makes the upcoming friendlies in Doha critical. They are not ceremonial run-outs; they are a vital barometer for India’s readiness to compete with Asia’s mid-tier teams, where results are anything but guaranteed.
India’s rivalry with Qatar is instructive. Despite India’s occasionally higher FIBA ranking, Qatar has consistently had the upper hand. In the recent qualifiers, Qatar beat India twice once in Chennai and once at home the latter match underlining India’s recurring issues with sustaining defensive pressure against more physically robust opponents.
With the two teams set to clash again in these exposure games, India will have the opportunity to test tactical adjustments and build cohesion among a core that blends veterans like captain Muin Bek Hafeez with rising stars like Pranav Prince.
A Closer Look at the Squad
The squad flying to Doha carries the hopes of a basketball community hungry for tangible progress. At the heart of India’s resurgence is the emergence of players developed through structured pathways the best example being Pranav Prince. A product of the NBA Academy India and international high-school exposure, Prince embodies the modern, athletic, multi-positional player that India must produce in greater numbers if it is to challenge Asia’s elite.
Alongside him is a supporting cast that represents the blend of old and new. Veterans like Muin Bek Hafeez bring leadership and composure, while clutch scorers like Harsh Dagar have shown they can deliver under pressure his standout 28-point game against Bahrain being a prime example.
But the team also includes players like Vaisakh Manoj, whose path through the traditional domestic circuit highlights both India’s raw talent pool and the need for sharper polishing mechanisms at home. Together, they form a group that is promising but still fragile when facing teams with well-oiled systems and foreign-born naturalised talent as Qatar has used to great effect.
The Lessons Qatar Offers
Qatar is a fascinating opponent for India. Despite being a smaller nation, its strategic embrace of naturalized players has turned it into a consistent threat in Asian basketball. In their last meeting, Qatar’s American-born center Tyler Harris and forward Donte Grantham powered the team to an emphatic win over India, exposing the gulf in physicality and finishing ability.
This is the crux of India’s challenge: while the country has no shortage of tall, athletic youngsters, converting raw potential into professional-level performance requires year-round competition and elite training conditions that India’s current ecosystem still struggles to deliver consistently.
The New Professional League: A Turning Point
This is why the Doha friendlies carry extra weight. For decades, India’s national team has been forced to rely on sporadic training camps and short exposure tours like this one. Now, with the launch of India’s first official professional basketball league — a joint effort by the Basketball Federation of India and ACG Sports there is hope that the situation will finally change.
The planned league promises to address exactly what the Doha games reveal: the lack of regular, high-level match experience. A domestic professional system would allow players to test themselves week in, week out, against each other and imported talent, rather than hoping for a handful of foreign tours to build chemistry and resilience.
Coach Flemming’s Big Test
Scott Flemming’s approach during this rebuild has been straightforward: focus on youth, instill a team-first culture, and trust that consistent minutes for emerging players will pay off in the long run. The Doha series offers him the chance to try new rotations, experiment with defensive systems, and gauge whether the promising signs from the qualifiers can hold up against a team that has repeatedly outclassed India with disciplined runs and physical dominance.
For Flemming and his staff, these games will be about more than the scoreboard. They are a live laboratory for evaluating which players can handle the speed and tactical complexity of modern Asian basketball and who might need more time to adapt.
A Crucial Benchmark Before Jeddah
India’s group at the Asia Cup China, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia is daunting. To stand a chance of advancing, India will need to deliver four consistent quarters, not flashes of brilliance and quarters of collapse as seen in Doha last year. That is why each minute in these friendlies counts.
The lessons learned in Doha will feed directly into training camps and the opening fixtures in Jeddah. If India can show it has begun to bridge the gap against Qatar, it will be a sign that the narrative is finally shifting from underdog grit to genuine tactical evolution.
More Than Just a Tour
For Indian basketball fans, these games may not be broadcast live or make big headlines but they matter deeply. They represent a national team trying to shake off old limitations, a generation of players striving to prove they belong on bigger stages, and a federation finally laying the foundations for a professional future that matches India’s sporting ambitions.
When Team India takes the floor in Doha, they will carry the hopes of a sport standing at the edge of a new era. The final result will matter, but the bigger win would be evidence that Indian basketball’s long wait for sustainable growth might, at last, be turning into reality.
So here’s to Doha another chapter, another test, another step toward a future where India can stand toe-to-toe with Asia’s best. 🇮🇳🏀
