India stormed into the quarter-finals of the FIBA Asia Challenge after downing Kazakhstan 100-90 in Group E. The Indians had earlier pulled off one of the major upsets in the tournament by downing a higher-ranked China.
Yet again, India banked on Talwinderjit Singh to get them across the finish line. The Indians used their height advantage to the hilt in the contest. Despite the Kazakhs having a slender lead going into the final stages, India, with Amritpal Singh, Amjyot Singh and Yadwinder Singh, always had the match firmly within their grasp.
India were trailing 19-21 at the end of the first quarter, but Sat Prakash's side bounced back, and had a nine-point lead at the half-time whistle. The Kazhaki trio, Nikolay Bazhkin, Pavel Micheev and Mikhail Yevstigneyev were pushing India to the ropes and at 71-all, the match could have swung either way.
The seven-foot Amritpal Singh was immense, finishing with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, accounting for 27 points. This was the first time India registered two wins on the bounce in the competition, and will face the winner of the Iran-South Korea game in the quarter-final.
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