By India Today Sports DeskThe Indian cricket board (BCCI) on Friday announced the women’s squad for Asian Games 2023. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead a 15-member squad as the board confirmed the women’s team’s participation in the Asian Games. Women’s cricket will be held at the continental multi-sport event from September 19 to 28 in T20 format.
The Asian Games, which were postponed from last year, will be held from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China.
Smriti Mandhana has been named as vice-captain of the Indian Asian Games squad while Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana have been surprisingly left out and added to the standby list of players.
This will be the women’s team’s second multi-sport event in as many years. In 2022, Indian women won the Silver medal at the Commonwealth Games after losing to Australia in the final in Birimingham.
INDIA SQUAD FOR ASIAN GAMES CRICKET (WOMEN)
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Devika Vaidya, Anjali Sarvani, Titas Sadhu, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Minnu Mani, Kanika Ahuja, Uma Chetry (wk), Anusha Bareddy
Standy playersHarleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar.
INDIA SQUAD FOR ASIAN GAMES CRICKET (MEN)
The BCCI also announced the men’s squad for the Asian Games. Ruturaj Gaikwad, contrary to reports, will lead the side which has quite a few fresh faces, including Rinku Singh, and Prabhsimran Singh.
The men’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games from September 28 to October 8 in T20 format.
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.
Notably, cricket in the Asian Games will not have ICC status.
Emanuel Schmitt
Harvey Wiegand
Trace Hane