India may send second-string cricket team for Asian Games: Details
What's the story
India is considering sending a second-string cricket team to the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The decision stems from concerns over the quality of facilities and arrangements for participating nations. The men's cricket competition is scheduled between September 24 and October 3, while the women's event will be held from September 17-22.
Concerns raised
BCCI and ACC displeased with Japan's arrangements
A source quoted by ANI has revealed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) are unhappy with the facilities and arrangements in Japan.
The board plans to send an observer to assess these conditions before making a final decision on India's squad composition.
Impact of assessment
Concerns raised about player facilities
The BCCI observer's report will be crucial in deciding whether India will send a full-strength team or opt for a 'B' team.
The source added, "We told Japan Olympics officials during the ACC in a meeting that the dressing rooms were set up in tents and washrooms were just 500 m away from those tents, which has created an unsatisfying situation for the players."
Team composition
India announced strong squads for the event
India, the defending champions after winning gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, has announced a strong squad for this year's event.
The men's team is captained by Shreyas Iyer and includes players like Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shivam Dube, among others.
The women's team is led by Harmanpreet Kaur with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain.
Information
India men's T20I squad for Asian Games
Squad: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-capt), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah.
Information
Indian women's T20I squad for Asian Games
Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G. Kamalini (WK), Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nandni Sharma.