The Asian Games is set to begin on September 23 and will go on till October 8. Star Indian cricketer will be busy with ICC World Cup 2023 preparations, to take part in the home conditions. The 50-over tournament will take place in India from October 5. According to reports, BCCI will send a second string Indian side to the continental event in Hangzhou, China.
The players who have performed well in the Indian Premier League and domestic cricket are expected to be given the opportunity in the absence of the key Indian players in the team. Both men’s and women’s tournaments will be held in the event. Before this edition, cricket was last played at the Asian Games in 2014.
According to reports, Indian veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan is likely to lead the Indian team in the mega event, as the southpaw is not in contention to make it into the squad for the ODI World Cup later this year in India. Youngsters Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mohsin Khan are expected to make it into the squad for the mega event later this year.
1. Openers – Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, And Yashasvi Jaiswal
Shikhar Dhawan is likely to lead the second-string Indian team for the Asian Games 2023. The Indian veteran fell out of favour with the Indian team, due to his poor form and the emergence of Shubman Gill as an all-format opener for India. The 37-year-old played exceedingly well for the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2023 before an injury made him out for a few games and the southpaw is expected to play a pivotal for the Indian team in the Asian games.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is one of the emerging stars in Indian Cricket, as he showed excellent temperament to excel in all three formats. The youngster is one of those notable players who are on the verge of making it into the Indian team and can be another opener in the team for the Asian Games. The 26-year-old has been fantastic for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2023 season and would look to continue his fine form in the continental games.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been the standout performer for Rajasthan Royals in the recently concluded Indian Premier League and impressed everyone which his fearless approach to batting at the top of the order. The left-handed opener has scored 625 runs in 14 matches at an average of 48.08 and has hit five half-centuries and one century in the season. He was also named the Emerging Player of the Season and the Left-handed opener is the potential candidate to be part of the squad given the youngster is not part of the India plans for the ODI World Cup.
2. Middle Order – Deepak Hooda, Tilak Varma, And Rinku Singh
India all-rounder Deepak Hooda had a terrific outing in IPL 2022 which earned him a place in the Indian squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and has impressed everyone with his versatility to bat in different positions in the Indian team, though he had poor IPL season in 2023 he could well make into the Indian side in the absence of the senior players in the team, as he got tremendous potential to play at the highest level for the Men In Blue.
Tilak Varma was one of the most impressive uncapped cricketers in the country as he performed exceedingly well for the five-time champions. The Mumbai Indians youngster have done exceptionally well for the franchise in the given opportunity and have shown excellent composure to produce some match-winning performances for their team.
Rinku Singh can play as the finisher in the team as he scored 474 runs in 14 matches at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52, with four half-centuries most importantly finishing the games for his side in the impossible situations. The youngster is expected to finish games for the side in the continental even in China.
3. Wicket-Keeper – Jitesh Sharma
Jitesh Sharma has impressed everyone with his hard-hitting batting and finishing abilities and has also been impressed with his work behind the stumps for Punjab Kings and Vidarbha. The 29-year-old was part of the India T20 squad in the previous two series but could not make his debut for the Men in Blue.
The Indian Wicket-keeper batter has been excellent in the IPL 2023, playing at different positions for the Punjab Kings in the cash-rich, providing impetus in the middle overs for the Shikhar Dhawan-led side.
4. All-Rounders – Venkatesh Iyer, Washington Sundar, And Shivam Dube
Venkatesh Iyer made his mark with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he made a brilliant comeback after an injury. He seemed equally comfortable against pace and spin, as he can also bowl some overs in the middle for the India team. The 28-year-old has put in the grind on the domestic circuit and made a comeback in the IPL 2023, where he played a few match-winning knocks for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Washington Sundar has shown promise in the limited opportunity in International Cricket, as he can be vital for the Indian team going forward in all three formats of the game. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder has been a good off-spinner for India with very handy batting potential and is also an impeccable fielder.
Shivam Dube has been an important player for the Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 season and the all-rounder has played exceptionally well in the middle order for the five-time champions. The 29-year-old’s career has had a tremendous rise since joining CSK last season, and his performances have gotten a notch higher this season. The hard-hitting all-rounder can counter-attack the spinners in the middle overs and can bowl some medium pace if required.
5. Spinners- Ravi Bishnoi And Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravi Bishnoi was called up to the Indian side last year following impressive performances for Lucknow Super Giants In IPL 2022 but was out of the Indian team for T20 World Cup as the team went in with experienced Ravichandran Ashwin. The youngster has got lethal googly in his bowling and has been a consistent performer for India at junior levels, and he will look to do well for the Indian team in Asian Games if provided an opportunity.
Ravichandran Ashwin has improved his record in white-ball cricket over the last few years to provide some crucial breakthroughs for his team and the lower-order batter can play some vital cameos down the order for the Men in Blue in white-ball cricket. He made a comeback into the Indian side only in the 2021 T20 World Cup and also played the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and his experiences can come in handy for the Indian side in Asian Games.
6. Fast Bowlers-Bhuvneshwar Kumar Arshdeep Singh, And Mohsin Khan
Indian veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be valuable addition to the Indian team having played for the Men in Blue across formats. The 33-year-old is likely to lead the Indian pace bowling attack, as he played exceedingly well for the Indian team in T20 Cricket.
Indian left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh can be a valuable addition to the Indian team for the forthcoming West Indies tour, as the youngster impressed everyone during the 2022 T20 World Cup playing the role of the primary pacer in the team in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, being equally good with the new ball and old ball for the Indian team.
Mohsin Khan has shown the ability to contain the batsmen in the powerplays and variations in the death overs making him one of the best bowlers of the IPL and can be a vital player for the Indian team going forward. The LSG pacer is touted as the player to watch out for the Indian team in the future as he has shown the ability to bowl both with the new ball and in the death overs.