Asian Games 2023: Ruturaj Gaikwad to captain Indian cricket team in T20 format

By India Today Sports Desk: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday, 14 July, announced the Indian T20 squad for the upcoming Asian Games 2023, set to be held in Hangzhou, China. The team will be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain, marking a significant milestone in his cricketing career.

The squad features a mix of incredible emerging talents in Indian cricket, with notable inclusions being Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma. Both players have had impressive performances in the recent IPL 2023 season, making their selection a well-deserved recognition of their skills.

Rinku Singh, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, showcased his batting prowess by scoring 474 runs from 14 matches. Despite missing out on the West Indies squad, his consistent performance has earned him a spot in the Asian Games team.

Jitesh Sharma, the Punjab Kings’ wicketkeeper-batsman, also makes it to the squad following his commendable performance in the IPL. He scored 309 runs and his ability to finish games earned him a call-up in the Indian side.

The rest of the squad comprises Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, and Prabhsimran Singh as the second wicketkeeper.

Regulars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya will not be featuring in the squad due to their commitments to the ICC World Cup 2023 preparations. The Asian Games thus present a golden opportunity for these players to make their mark and stake a claim for regular inclusion in the national side.

The men’s cricket competition will take place from 28th September to 8th October in a T20 format.

India Squad for Asian Games

Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), 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)

Standby list of players: Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudarshan.