"Gold confirmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad recreating history"- Fans erupt as BCCI appoints Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain for upcoming Asian Games 2023

After a couple of successful domestic seasons, Ruturaj Gaikwad has finally received a well-earned reward as BCCI appointed him as the captain of the Indian team for the upcoming Asian Games 2023. It is going to be the first time the men's Indian cricket team will be participating in the event.

The Asian Games will be held between September 23 and October 8 in Hangzhou, China. With the event coinciding with the 2023 ICC ODI World, all the senior Indian players are unavailable for selection. The World Cup commences on October 5 in Ahmedabad.

As a result, the selectors picked a side full of youngsters and fringe players who have done well in domestic tournaments and IPL over the past few years. 26-year-old Gaikwad will lead this exciting team.

Several IPL stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, and Prabhsimran Singh have earned India call-ups for the Asian Games.

BCCI's official media statement about the Indian squad read:

"The Men’s Selection Committee has picked India’s squad for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 to be held from 19th September to 8th October 2023 at Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field. The men’s cricket competition will take place from 28th September to 8th October in a T20 format."

Team India for Asian Games 2023: 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

Fans were elated after learning about the announcement of Gaikwad as captain for the upcoming Asian Games. They lauded the selectors for making a sensible move by giving responsibility to a youngster with potential. A few fans also drew parallels between Ruturaj of 2023 and MS Dhoni of 2007.

Here are some of the best Twitter reactions on the matter:

Happy for Ruturaj Gaikwad.

He has in & out of the system due to the combination but deserving captaincy badge in the Asian Games.

The future leader of CSK is here. https://t.co/ZolzkUSZwz

MS Dhoni captained India at the age of 26

Ruturaj Gaikwad will captain India at the age of 26

Just a Coincidence?? https://t.co/f1XrT4cS4v

How Fast The Time Changes (Ruturaj Gaikwad)

Waterboy The Captain https://t.co/TODIPXPgWb

Indian fans out in the streets singing "Meri Desh Ki Dharti" as Ruturaj-led Team India defeats China by 180 runs. The moment cricket world ain't ready for. ❤️

Just got appointed as captain and already took his team to the knockouts. There are levels to this game. twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra…

Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain of ICT for upcoming Asian games

Go well man
#MSDhoni @Ruutu1331 #Ruturaj https://t.co/LAXCtA3sEc

Oh wow!❤️😍 Ruturaj Gaikwad is named skipper of the side that will lead India in the upcoming Asian Games.
Yashasvi, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Prabhsimran Singh also included. Happy to see Shivam Mavi's name as well.
Is this the future T20 line-up? https://t.co/FnAQ8JCIFj

Ruturaj Gaikwad will be Captaining India in The Asian Games 2023. 🥹💛

Captaining Indian Cricket Team is no joke, You have made it boy👏🏻 https://t.co/FzFD0Qe5jl

One man for whom I am really happy is Ruturaj Gaikwad. This guy has been consistently scoring in all the tournaments he has participated in in the last 2-3 years. Irrespective of sitting on the bench,He never lost hope and kept on grinding hard and today my man has got the reward

2007 - MS Dhoni , Appointed as Captain Where Most Of The Seniors Weren't Part of That Tournament .

2023 - Ruturaj Gaikwad , Appointed as Captain Where Most Of The Seniors Weren't Part of That Tournament . https://t.co/QFtRxW3guo

WC year
Seniors rested, New tournament, leading a young team, won World T20. Thala Dhoni created history

16 years down the line
WC year
Seniors rested, New tournament, leading a young team, gold confirmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad recreating history

#AsianGames https://t.co/FMjzWo4hod

Good luck to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for Asian Games.

CAPTAIN RUTURAJ GAIKWAD 👑

Now No worries of sitting outside and waiting for a chance 😌 It's the right time and golden opportunity to show the world who you're nd what u r capable of ! Full hopes @Ruutu1331 🤜🤛

https://t.co/wymhyiDBdC twitter.com/BCCI/status/16…

A brief look at Ruturaj Gaikwad's numbers in T20I format

Ruturaj Gaikwad made his T20I debut for India in 2021 against Sri Lanka and has played nine matches since then. The CSK batter is yet to replicate his IPL form on the international stage, having scored only 135 runs in nine games at a poor average of 16.87, including a solitary half-century.