The Asian Games 2023 is all set to take place in Hangzhou, the People's Republic of China, from 23 September to 8 October. So, the Men’s cricket event is going to be played in the 20-20 format and all the matches will be played at the Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field.
On 14 July, the Indian Cricket Board announced the squad for Team India and surprisingly, they named Ruturaj Gaikwad as the skipper. Reports were there that the veteran batter, Shikhar Dhawan could be given the captaincy. But, he failed to get a place in the squad even. So, fans shared their views on social media.
Shikhar Dhawan last played for Team India in December 2022
The 2023 ODI World Cup is going to begin on 5 October in India. So, big-name players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not a part of the squad. A second-string team have been selected for the event with young stars like Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Duve, and many other. Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, and Sai Sudarsan have been added as standby players. Some fans also pointed out the missing of Nitish Rana from the squad.
Speaking of Dhawan, he last played for Team India in December 2022. He had a decent IPL 2023 also for Punjab Kings (PBKS). Still, fans were left shocked not to see him making a comeback in the squad for the upcoming Asian Games. On the other hand, Gaikwad is currently a part of Team India’s tour of the West Indies. He also had good IPL with the bat and won the title with Chennai Super Kings (CSK). So, it will be a huge opportunity for him to showcase his leadership qualities.
Team India (Senior Men) squad for 19th 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 Sudarsan
Here is how fans have reacted:
So ruturaj will have a multinational tournament as a captain before kohli😂
— JAY || जय 🚭 (@galat_londey) July 14, 2023
Immediate impact of GOAT Ruturaj Gaikwad 🐐❤️
— HemaPriya07 (@attitudegirl___) July 14, 2023
India will directly bring gold medal in Asian Games. No need to play finals and send players 😂😂
— RP17 🏏 (@GautamAditya16) July 14, 2023
India Pakistan Bangladesh Sri Lanka sab quarterfinals hi khelenge except lower ranked teams jo group stage se khel ke ayenga
— 𝚂. (@cric_shub41) July 14, 2023
It means he will be in world cup considerations bro
— PAVAN KANTAMNENI (@pavankantamneni) July 14, 2023
This is harsh on shikhar paaji.. A senior should have been there in the team and made the captain for better guidance in asian games
— Anurag Sinha (@anuragsinha1992) July 14, 2023
hope he gets the chance in the World Cup
— KAPIL DEV TAMRAKAR 🇮🇳🚀 (@kapildevtamkr) July 14, 2023
May be in contention for world cup
— Khushal Modi (@KhushalModi18) July 14, 2023