Will India send a second-string team for Asian Games? BCCI breaks silence on Japan facilities

MUMBAI: The BCCI has raised concerns over the facilities being prepared for cricket at Aichi-Nagoya in Japan ahead of the Asian Games. Reports suggest that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the BCCI are not fully satisfied with the facilities and arrangements being made for the cricketers.

The BCCI is likely to send a representative to Japan to assess the facilities. During an ACC meeting, the board reportedly raised concerns with Japanese Olympic officials over the arrangements, pointing out that the dressing rooms for cricketers have been set up in tents, while the washrooms are located around 500 metres away. The size of the hotel rooms has also emerged as a concern.

There were reports that India could send a second-string team to the Asian Games if the facilities were not satisfactory. However, BCCI sources have now clarified that while concerns over the facilities are genuine, India will not send a second-string team to the Asian Games.

India won the men’s cricket gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The final against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain, with India winning the gold based on their higher ranking. India have once again named a strong squad for the Games, with Shreyas Iyer as captain. Senior players including Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are also part of the squad.

India men’s T20 squad for the Asian Games

Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Jasprit Bumrah.

India have also named a strong squad for the women’s event. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the team, while senior players including Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma are part of the squad.

India women’s T20 squad for the Asian Games

Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), G. Kamalini (Wicketkeeper), Bharati Fulmali, Sri Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Nandini Sharma.