VISHESH Bhriguvanshi played the role of the hero for India as it downed Iraq in a pulsating 81-78 victory in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers Saturday at Khalifa Sport City in Manama.
The Indian national team veteran put it upon himself to take the biggest shot of the game, drilling the booming halfcourt triple at the buzzer off an Amjyot Singh steal on Kevin Galloway to give his side the win and secure the third place in Group D.
Bhriguvanshi finished with 11 points, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals as India improved to a 2-3 record, assuring itself a ticket to the final qualifying tournament where as many as four tickets to the continental tilt are at stake.
There, India will have to face the third-place teams from Group E, composed of Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, and Group F, comprising of Kazakhstan, Jordan, Palestine, and Sri Lanka.
Lebanon and Bahrain, the top seeds of Group D, have already booked their tickets to the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup as early as the second window in November.
Muin Bek Hafeez topscored for India with 22 points built on three triples, alongside seven assists, three boards, and three steals, while Singh had 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from threes, as well as five dimes, four rebounds, and three steals.
Aravind Annadurai also had 12 points, three boards, and two assists in the thriller.
Galloway's late miscue put a dampener on his sensational showing, where he flirted with a triple-double with his 24 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists as Iraq stayed winless after five games and lost their chance to qualify for the Asian championships.
Ihab Al-Zuhairi chipped in 16 points, while Hassan Abdullah had 12 in the defeat.
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