The senior India batter Shikhar Dhawan could make a return to Team India in the mega continental event, scheduled to take place in September-October this year.
The India team has quite a hectic cricket schedule this year. While the World Test Championship final topped the first half of the schedule, where India faced a disappointing loss to Australia, the team will be looking for positive results in the remaining half that includes the successful ODI World Cup on home soil as well as the Asia. Cup before the world tournament. But these are not the only two big trophies on the line for India; the team is also scheduled to participate in the quadrennial Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Hangzhou in China.
Both male and female teams will participate in the Games and according to ITP, A senior member of the Indian team is likely to return to the team for the tournament. A PTI report suggests that Shikhar Dhawan could return as team captain at the Games, while India’s senior team continue their World Cup preparations.
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“Shikhar Dhawan’s name is making the rounds as the captain of the India B team who will be taking part in the quadrennial extravaganza,” ITP reported on Thursday.
The men’s competition at the Asian Games will coincide with India’s preparations for the World Cup, so a second team is expected to participate in the continental event.
Dhawan has remained out of Indian ODI team competition since December last year, following inconsistent performances in the fifty-plus format. He was succeeded by young starter Shubman Gill in the role; Dhawan has yet to represent India in any format this year. However, this will not be the first time that Dhawan has been able to lead the Indian team; the left-handed opener had captained the team against New Zealand in a three-match ODI series last year, and had also led a second team against Sri Lanka in ODI and T20I matches in 2021.
Meanwhile, a full women’s team will be in action at the Games and will be the favorites to win gold. The women’s team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, also participated in the Commonwealth Games last year, where they finished runners-up, losing to Australia in the final.