The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8, and the men's and women's cricket teams from India have been approved to compete for the first time.
Cricket was included twice at the Asian Games (in 2010 and 2014), although India did not participate. The cricket competition in Hangzhou will use the same T20 format as in the 2010 and 2014 tournaments.
"We are going to participate in the Asian Games. The Apex Council has approved the participation of our men's and women's teams," BCCI Secretary Jay Shah confirmed on Friday.
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Will big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli represent India at the Asian Games 2023?
The BCCI is expected to send a second-string men's side and a full-strength women's team to the Games due to the Men's ODI World Cup, which is set to begin on October 5, two days before Asian Games 2023 ends.
As a result, India's first-ever men's cricket team for the Asian Games will be without regular captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, among other regulars in ODIs and T20Is.
"BCCI will send both men’s and women’s teams to the Asian Games scheduled to be held in September 2023 at Hangzhou, China. However, considering the overlap of schedule of the Asian Games with ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, BCCI will select from the players not participating in the World Cup to play in the Asian Games," Jay Shah explained at the 19th Apex Council meeting on Friday.
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Who will lead India at Asian Games 2023?
According to earlier reports, Shikhar Dhawan, who is not in the running for a World Cup spot, will likely serve as the captain of the Indian team competing in the Asian Games.
The Asian Games, which will be played in a T20 format, could provide the opportunity for other promising young athletes like Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Mukesh Kumar to make their India debuts.