‘Yeah konsa tournament hai bhaii????’- Fans react as reports of India participating upcoming Asian Games 2023 surfaces

The Indian Cricket Board has reportedly guaranteed to send teams to both the men’s and women’s Asian Games 2023. However, owing to the forthcoming ODI World Cup 2023, India will have a Men’s B squad, while the women’s senior side will compete in the Asiad for T20I games. The Indian Cricket Board will provide the player list to the Indian Olympic Association by June 30.

They were not committed to sending cricket teams to the 19th Asian Games due to the tournament’s conflict with the Men’s ODI World Cup calendar. The Asian Games 2023 begin on September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China, while the Indian Cricket Board hosts the ODI World Cup 2023 beginning from October 5th.

They said they are preoccupied: Bhupender Bajwa

The development represents a complete shift from the Indian cricket board’s previous attitude. Bhupender Bajwa, India’s chef de mission for the Asian Games, was previously reported in The Indian Express as saying: “We have entries in all sports except one – cricket (team) isn’t going. They said they are preoccupied. We sent around 3-4 emails to them but when we had to send entries to the organizers, they said they won’t go.”

Meanwhile, the Indian women’s full-strength squad will compete at the Asian Games. The women’s team will travel to Bangladesh next month for a six-match white-ball tour before hosting South Africa in September. India will be sending cricket teams to the Asian Games for the first time. The women’s cricket team competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July and August, winning a silver medal after losing to Australia in the final. Cricket was initially featured in the Asian Games in 2010, and it was again in 2014. However, the game was omitted from the 2018 Jakarta edition but added in the 2022 edition.

India has previously fielded more than one cricket team at the same time. In 1998, one squad competed in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, while another faced Pakistan in the Sahara Cup. Another instance is where, Shikhar Dhawan led a white-ball squad to Sri Lanka, while Virat Kohli captained the main side in a Test series in England simultaneously.

Here’s how fans reacted

Maybe Dhawan or Samson, rest all are busy with WC schedule.

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 24, 2023

20-20

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 24, 2023

Pakistan main team was also busy in wc so they will send their b team also

— Ankit Ghosh (@AnkitGh94838091) June 24, 2023

https://twitter.com/Jayesh_45/status/1672445633704390656?s=20

https://twitter.com/Zainab_Haider10/status/1672451614865760258?s=20

Kyoki main team multinational tournament ka naam sunte hi pant me Susu kar deti

— D♡ (@__ArcherT) June 24, 2023