India take on Lebanon in Division B semi-final of Women's Asia Cup basketball 2017 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, July 28.

Anitha Paul Durai-led side, who finished as high as fifth in 2013, were relegated to Division B after a poor show at 2015 Asia Cup in Wuhan, China.

However, India does not seem to be a team that is worried about the past. Under newly-appointed coach Zoran Visic, the team has been at its best and are living up to Division B favourites tag.

A win in the final on Saturday, July 29 will come as a huge relief to the team, which has struggled to get proper international exposure due to administrative issues that has marred the development process of the sport in the country.

India - Road to semi-final

India, the 40th-ranked side, decimated Oceania debutants Fiji 93-51 in the quarter-final on Thursday, July 27. Anitha led the show once again with 19 points, during which she also registered her third double-digit score in the tournament.

Anitha Paul Durai
File photo of India Women's basketball star Anitha Paul Durai (R)Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Girma Merlin Varghese, who top-scored in the group game against Sri Lanka, came up with another impressive show on Thursday along with Raja Priyadharshini Rajaganapathi.

India opened their campaign with a 92-76 win over Uzbekistan and followed it up with a 88-42 win over Sri Lanka. With the big wins, India have made their intentions clear to the rest of the pack.

Lebanon - Road to semi-final

Lebanon, the 54th-ranked side, have been quite impressive in the ongoing tournament and are likely to come up with a stiff challenge to the hosts in today's semi-final.

Despite opening the campaign with a defeat to Kazakhstan, Lebanon buckled up and eased past Fiji [90-48] and Singapore [74-64] before beating Sri Lanka 86-37 in the quarter-final on Thursday.

While India will be banking on Anitha to lead from the front again, Lebanon's chances will rest on in-form players Nancy Maalouf and Lama Moukaddem's performance on the big night.


When does the match start and how to follow live

The Division B semi-final between India and Lebanon will be played at Bengaluru's Sree Kanteerava Stadium at 8pm IST.

Live scores of the match will be available on the tournament's official website.