Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled the 15-member Indian men’s cricket team, along with five standby players, for the upcoming Asian Games 2023. The prestigious event is set to take place in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China, from September 23 to October 8. The men’s cricket competition, played in the T20 format, will span from September 28 to October 8, with all matches scheduled to be held at the Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field.
As the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup is slated to commence in India on October 5, the Indian team for the Asian Games will predominantly consist of second-string players, with regular members such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not participating.
The Hangzhou-bound squad, nevertheless, boasts an array of promising young talent, most of whom have showcased their skills in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Leading the team will be 26-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad, who represents the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Gaikwad’s leadership skills and impressive performances in the IPL earned him the captaincy of the Indian team at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
The squad also includes left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, the top wicket-taker for the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2023 season. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who recently scored a century on his Test debut against the West Indies, has also been selected. Rinku Singh, known for his powerful knocks for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2023, has received his maiden call-up to the national team.
In a historic moment, India has named teams for both the men’s and women’s cricket competitions at the Asian Games for the first time. Cricket has previously been played twice at the Asian Games, in Guangzhou (2010) and Incheon (2014). Bangladesh emerged as the champions in the first edition, while Sri Lanka currently holds the title. Afghanistan finished as runners-up in both tournaments.
This will be the second instance of the Indian men’s cricket team participating in a multi-sport event. The team previously featured in the 1998 Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, playing in the 50-over format. However, those matches were not accorded international status and were classified as List A games.
The Indian men’s cricket team for the Asian Games 2023 is as follows: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wicket-keeper).
Standby players: Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudarsan.
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