The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that both the Men’s and Women’s cricket teams will participate in the upcoming Asian Games scheduled in Hangzhou, China. The continental event will be played from September 23 to October 8. However, due to a clash with the 2023 ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in October-November 2023, the men’s team will field a second-choice squad.
The women’s team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will field their first-choice squad for the Asian Games. In contrast, the men’s team will have to assemble a second-tier squad comprising players who will not be part of the 2023 ODI World Cup squad.
Top stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya will remain absent from the Asia Cup squad; therefore, the team will see a new captain in the tournament.
Krunal Pandya, who performed exceptionally well as the stand-in captain for his IPL franchise, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), is perhaps the best fit to lead India men’s team at the Asian Games. His all-round skills and international experience make him a valuable asset to guide the young side.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was in top form during the IPL, stands a strong chance of being picked as an opener alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. Other IPL breakout stars such as Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Nitish Rana could also be in contention for selection, providing the selectors test them in a high-pressure tournament. Shahrukh Khan, known for his aggressive batting, could fill a spot of the finisher in the Indian side.
Arshdeep Singh, India’s T20 bowling spearhead, pace sensation Umran Malik and young gun Mukesh Kumar are strong contenders as premium fast bowlers for the Asian Games.
In the spin department, the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel may open up opportunities for spin-bowling all-rounders Krunal and Shahbaz Ahmed.
Shivam Dube, who performed well for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), could be the lead pace-bowling all-rounder. Ravi Bishnoi, known for his spin bowling prowess, is likely to be the primary spinner in the squad, along with mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy.
India’s predictable 15-member squad for the Asian Games 2023:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Krunal Pandya (c), Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Ravi Bishnoi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Varun Chakravarthy.
