Because of concerns surrounding the cricket facilities in Japan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has dismissed speculation that India could send a ‘B’ team to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
The Indian cricket teams are scheduled to compete at the Asian Games in less than a month. However, concerns have emerged over the arrangements available for players at the venue, with the BCCI and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) reportedly unhappy with the facilities. This time, India have named a full strength men’s squad that includes captain Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. The batting group features Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, while the squad also includes several established senior internationals. India Men’s T20I Squad Shreyas Iyer (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-capt), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah. India Women’s T20I Squad The women’s team will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur and also contains several established players who regularly feature for India at senior international level. Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G. Kamalini (wk), Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Nandni Sharma. With both squads already featuring prominent senior players, the BCCI’s clarification provides a significant indication that concerns over the facilities will not, at this stage, lead to India replacing its selected teams with a ‘B’ side.
Because they had the higher seeding, the final against Afghanistan was washed out, with India awarded the gold medal. India enter the competition as the defending champions after securing the gold medal at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in 2023.
A report by ANI had claimed that the BCCI could send an observer to Japan to assess the arrangements. It also suggested that the board might consider fielding a ‘B’ team if the facilities failed to meet the required standards. Concerns Over Facilities In Japan The concerns reportedly centre on the facilities being provided to the cricketers. The observer will submit its report to us, and if arrangements are not up to the mark, we could consider sending a B team there. Also, the hotel rooms are really small, and it is a big concern.”
“We told Japan Olympic officials during an ACC meeting that the dressing rooms were set up in tents and washrooms were 500 m away from those tents, which has created an unsatisfactory situation for the players.
However, a BCCI source told NDTV that although the concerns highlighted in the report were accurate, there was no plan to send a second string Indian side to the Games. An ACC meeting had already seen Japan Olympic officials being informed about several issues involving the cricket setup, according to the ANI report. An ANI source said: “BCCI and ACC are not happy with the facilities and arrangements in Japan, and the board will send an observer there.
India Defending Asian Games Gold The BCCI is therefore expected to assess the conditions through an observer, but the board’s latest clarification rules out the reported possibility of downgrading India’s squad for the tournament.
