The hosts now face a difficult task in the league. Pakistan is largely an unknown quantity and Qatar the runners-up of the previous edition will be tough customers. This was India's best chance to log points but they blew it.

Not that Malaysia held any great terrors. It was just that Indians preferred to play from the outside and when skipper Robinson, Ranjit Singh and Mohit Bhandari had to leave the court with five fouls, India were a broken side. Those fouls proved costly. Also, India's shortcomings were apparent in the defence when forward Chew In Lai and Koh Kean Seong drove in right under the noses of Mahipal and Desraj and converted baskets.