India is set to field its strongest possible men’s and women’s cricket teams at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, signaling a strategic push toward Olympic success in 2028, where cricket makes its debut as a medal sport.
With regular T20 captains Suryakumar Yadav and Harmanpreet Kaur poised to lead, the BCCI has forwarded a long list of elite players to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), prioritizing an ‘A’ team for the T20 showdown from September 19 to October 5 in Aichi and Nagoya prefectures.
This bold move marks a shift from past strategies, where the BCCI often sent emerging teams to the multisport events amid packed schedules. “India will send its ‘A’ team when the final names are decided by the end.
The BCCI has sent the names of leading men and women cricketers to the IOA. “All the top cricketers will be available for selection,” a source revealed to TOI. No international fixtures clash with the Games, clearing the path for stars to shine at Korogi Athletic Park, where 10 men’s and eight women’s teams will compete.
On the women’s side, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is joined by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, opener Shafali Verma, seamers Renuka Thakur and Arundhati Reddy, off-spinner Sneh Rana, all-rounder Deepti Sharma, keeper Richa Ghosh, leg-spinner Shreyanka Patil, Kranti Gaud, and Sree Charani.
As defending champions with gold medals from the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games in both categories, India enters as favourites.
“India are the defending champions, having won gold in both men and women categories at the Hangzhou Asiad in 2023. With the inclusion of cricket at the LA Games, multisport events such as the Asiad and the Olympics have become important,” the source added.
(Quotes sourced from The Times of India)
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