Asian Games 2023 | Ruturaj Gaikwad set to lead Indian team full of young blood

With the Men’s ODI World Cup scheduled to begin just two days before the conclusion of the Asian Games Cricket competition, BCCI have announced a second-string team for the tournament to feature in the Asian Games. Ruturaj Gaikwad will captain the national side while the team also includes the likes of Yashavsi Jaiswal, Tilak Verma, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma who are yet to feature in the T20Is. 

Only six players from the ongoing West Indies series have been picked for the competition while the rest of the squad have young faces. Notably, Rinku Singh has earned his maiden call-up thanks to his exploits in the Indian Premier League. The left-hander produced an impressive show in the tournament which garnered him a lot of praise from the former cricketers. Washington Sundar and Rahul Tripathi will have an opportunity to showcase their capabilities in the T20Is as they return to the squad. Sundar recently featured in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) while Tripathi played in the Maharashtra Premier League (MPL). 

Cricket has featured in Asian Games a couple of times in the past but India didn’t participate. The upcoming edition will be held between September 28 to October 8 and the Indian team will look forward to lifting the silverware. 

India squad for Asian Games:  Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wk)

Stand-bys: Yash Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, B Sai Sudharsan