NEW DELHI (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Playing for the national team is of paramount importance for Aravind Annadurai, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to see him doing so well.

Basketball was not Annadurai's first sport. He began his athletic journey playing the popular Indian game of kabaddi before finding his way to the basketball court thanks to his height and his uncle in 2006.

"It was my uncle who first appreciated my height while playing kabaddi, and then he introduced me to basketball," Annadurai said. "Later, I joined the SAI Sports Centre and trained under the guidance of coach Sappaniambalam Bhaskar."

It didn't take too long for the national team to take notice of the 6ft 7in (2.00m) Tamil Nadu specimen, and he eventually found himself playing for the Young Cagers first in the SABA Championship 2015 and then debuting at the continental level in last year's FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon. Even with stalwarts Amjyot Singh and Amritpal Singh playing for India, the upstart Annadurai turned a lot of heads with his fearless play. He ended up as India's second-leading scorer in that competition with 11.3 points per game highlighted by a 20-point explosion against Syria. That kind of experience is something that the 24-year-old treasures, especially since it came at a time when he played for flag and country.

"Playing for the nation means everything to me, and it makes me feel proud and happy," he shared. "Right from the day I started playing basketball, I have dreamt of playing for my country. It makes me feel as a complete player."

After Annadurai's impressive stint in Beirut, it was no wonder that he was tapped to shore up India's frontline for the Asian Qualifiers, and he has responded quite well to the challenge. In four games, Annadurai is second on the squad in scoring and player efficiency. Unfortunately for him and his team, India have dropped all four of their Asian Qualifiers games so far, though they still have a slight chance of advancing if they can blow out Syria in their next assignment. Annadurai, for one, believes that India are good enough to do it if they just manage to close out their games strongly.

"India have a good team," he said. "We give a good fight in the first half of the game to all the teams in the international tournaments, but in the second half of the game, we lack in endurance, so we should all work harder on that part."

For that to happen, especially in the long term, Annadurai believes India need to take some bold steps and need to maximize the players' exposure to high level competition.

"Also, playing against different countries in different conditions would help the team, and a professional domestic league should be introduced," he suggested. "Yes, regular exposure is helping the players in my country along with the new home and away format because it's a totally different experience playing in other countries, which involves a lot of travel and learning. When I go to other places, I get to know some new techniques and moves that I could use in my game, and my game style differs when I play in front of a new audience."

India play Syria on 28 June at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Lebanon and then travel to Amman to play Jordan in their final first round match on 1 July.

FIBA