3 things to watch out for in India men's Asian Games 2023 campaign
The Indian men's cricket team's Asian Games 2023 campaign begins on Tuesday, October 3, in the quarterfinal match. With the women's team securing gold, the expectations are high for the men's team's debut in the Asian Games and they're the outright favorites to win gold.
India will be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, and the squad comprises a whole host of talented stars from the IPL, such as Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rinku Singh. There's plenty for Indian cricket fans to get excited about the 2023 Asian Games.
Let's look at 3 things to watch out for in the Indian men's Asian Games 2023 campaign.
#3 Jitesh Sharma's international debut
Jitesh Sharma has been one of the best uncapped players in the last couple of IPL seasons, and he was set to debut in the 3rd T20I in the 3-match series against Ireland in August 2023. However, the Dublin weather played spoilsport as the match got abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Sharma, however, is set to be India's first-choice wicket-keeper in the Asian Games, with his PBKS teammate Prabhsimran Singh the other option, and could make his debut in India's first match of the 2023 Asian Games.
Sharma is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball and has one of the best strike rates in the league. He'll fit in perfectly with the attacking identity India is looking to adopt, and it'll be interesting to see how high he bats and how well he fares on the international stage.
#2 India's backup bowlers' performance
There was a time last year when Arshdeep Singh was one of India's main bowlers both in T20Is and ODIs but cut to the present, he finds himself on the fringes. Avesh Khan found himself in a similar position not long ago, but right now, both of them are India's backup set of bowlers, and they'll have to deliver in games like this to get back into the first-choice team.
With the quality of opposition leading to many saying that this will be a cakewalk for India, all eyes will be on the Indian bowlers and how quickly they can bowl out their opponents.
This is a great opportunity for Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, and Shahbaz Ahmed to boost their stocks when it comes to selection for the main Indian T20I side, with the next World Cup not far away.
#1 India's potential margin of victories and the chance to break long-standing cricketing records
India is the favorite to win the gold medal in men's cricket by some margin. Such is the gulf between India's second-string side and those of other Asian cricket heavyweights. Most of these teams are a mix of emerging players and some experienced seniors, but India possesses a set of players good enough to take on and win matches against first-team international sides.
The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Rinku Singh made light work of some of the world's best bowlers in the IPL, and the same can be said about the Indian bowlers. Considering some of the scorelines a team like Nepal was able to manage in their matches, India's margin of victories will come under scrutiny.
The Men in Blue will also have the opportunity and the desire to break some long-standing cricketing records in this tournament. That's definitely something to look out for in India's campaign in the Asian Games.