In a groundbreaking move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to field both men’s and women’s cricket teams at the upcoming Asian Games, marking their debut in the prestigious multi-sport event, contrary to a few media reports suggesting that the Board might be hesitant in sending the men’s team. Responding to a request from the Ministry of Sports of the Government of India, the BCCI plans to submit the list of approved players to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) by June 30, 2023, for the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, which will be hosted by China.
This decision holds immense significance for the global promotion of cricket and serves as a significant boost to the game’s aspiration of returning to the world’s largest sporting event—the Olympics. Although star players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja among others will not be participating in the Asian Games due to it being the year of the ODI World Cup, the Indian cricket market has already familiarized the world with its talented players through the Indian Premier League (IPL), and that will help the Asian Games garner some major eyeballs from India.
Recent events such as the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and The Women’s Hundred, along with the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 in the UK, have helped women’s cricket to grow in popularity. The presence of players like Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur at the Asian Games is sure to attract significant attention from broadcasters, leading to substantial profits.
The absence of India’s men’s and women’s teams from the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014 meant that fans around the world were deprived of witnessing the intense cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan. The recent India versus Pakistan clash in the CWG 2022, where women’s teams competed, drew massive crowds and highlighted the global demand for this iconic rivalry. It is anticipated that a similar scenario will unfold in China, potentially posing a challenge in terms of accommodating the vast number of fans flocking to the cricket stadium in Hangzhou.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has actively advocated for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, making efforts to engage with the International Olympic Council (IOC) and the Los Angeles Olympics Committee for the 2028 Olympics. India’s participation in the Asian Games can serve as a catalyst for the ICC to demonstrate the sport’s widespread interest and its ability to attract diverse audiences, even in uncharted territories.
Given that BCCI Secretary Jay Shah is a member of the ICC’s Olympics working group, coupled with the IOC’s recognition of India as one of its major markets, the success of cricket at the Asian Games will undoubtedly strengthen its bid for inclusion in the LA28 Olympics. The final decision regarding the inclusion of one sport among the shortlisted nine for LA28 will be made during the IOC’s Mumbai session, further indicating the growing prospects of cricket’s return to the Olympics after 128 years.
In the previous three editions of the Asian Games, Team India narrowly missed out on finishing higher in the overall medals tally by a mere one or two gold medals. However, by fielding a full-strength women’s team and potentially a second-string men’s team, India stands an excellent chance of increasing its medal tally by securing two gold medals and thereby achieving a higher ranking in the final medal table at the conclusion of the event.