The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to send both men’s and women’s teams to the Asian Games in 2023. However, due to the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023, India will field a men’s B cricket team while the women’s senior team will participate in the Asiad for T20 matches. The BCCI will hand over the list of players to the Indian Olympic Association before June 30.
The BCCI did not commit to sending cricket teams to the 19th edition of the Asian Games due to the tournament clashing with the ICC World Cup schedule. The Asian Games 2023 will begin on September 23 and will be held in Hangzhou, China till October 8, while the BCCI is hosting the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 from October 5 to November 23.
Now according to a report in Indian Express, the governing body will send a second row men’s team to the Asian Games. Most of the senior star players will be part of India’s World Cup squad but the BCCI is expected to name a strong squad for the Asian Games due to the rich talent available in Indian cricket.
Meanwhile, India will field its first women’s frontline team for the Asian Games. The Women in Blue will travel to Bangladesh next month for a six-match white-ball tour and are then expected to host South Africa in September.
Notably, this is the first time that cricket teams from India will be participating in the Asian Games. The women’s cricket team participated in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July and August where they won the silver medal after losing the final against Australia.
Cricket was first included in the Asian Games in 2010 and was also a part of the 2014 edition. However, the game was dropped for the 2018 edition in Jakarta but included in the 2022 edition. The latest edition was scheduled to take place from 10 to 25 September 2022, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China.