Vaibhav Tripathi
In a significant development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has granted permission for both the men’s and women’s teams to compete in the upcoming Asian Games 2023. However, due to the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 clashing with the Games, Indian men’s team will be represented by a second-string side. The women’s senior team will showcase their skills in the T20I matches at the Asiad. The BCCI is working diligently to finalize the players’ list, which will be submitted to the Indian Olympic Association before the end of June.
Initially, there were concerns within the BCCI regarding the participation of cricket teams in the 19th edition of the Asian Games due to a scheduling conflict with the ICC World Cup. The Asian Games are scheduled to commence on September 23 and conclude on October 8 in Hangzhou, China, overlapping with the BCCI’s hosting of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, expected to commence from October 5.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Asian Games, the Women in Blue are scheduled to embark on a six-match white-ball tour to Bangladesh next month, followed by hosting South Africa in September.
This historic participation in cricket at the Asian Games marks a significant milestone for India. The women’s cricket team had previously displayed their prowess by clinching a silver medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham during July and August, where they emerged as runners-up after a closely-fought final against Australia.