Nagpur cager Siya in Indian women's team for Asia Cup in China

Nagpur: Promising Nagpur cager Siya Deodhar of Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana (SNG) was selected to represent the Senior India women's team in the FIBA Asia Cup basketball tournament scheduled to be held in Shenzhen, China, from July 13 to 20.

The 22-year-old Nagpur point guard will be part of the 12-member Indian team that will participate in Division B of the eight-day championship. The top-eight women's teams in the continent will play in Division A of the Asia Cup, from where the champion will directly qualify for the FIBA World Cup. The 79th-ranked Indian women's team, placed in Division B, will fight for the promotional spot in the 2027 Asia Cup.

In the biannual tournament, India is placed in Group A alongside Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, and Tahiti. After the three league round games, the knockout phase of the tournament will begin.

Earlier in 2023, Siya became the first Nagpur cager to represent India in the 19th Asian Games 2023 held in Hangzhou, China, where she competed in the 3x3 format of basketball.

Daughter of Shreesh and Swati Deodhar, Siya practises under Shiv Chhatrapati awardee Shatrughna Gokhale and Vinay Chikate.

Siya's international journey began in 2019 when she became the fourth Indian-born female player to play high school basketball in the United States, following Asmat Kaur Taunque, Harsimran Kaur, and Ann Mary Zachariah.