Picking a combined playing 11 from Indian men's and women's squads for Asian Games 2023

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday, July 14, named the Indian men’s and women’s squads for the Asian Games 2023.

While the men’s squad will be a second-string one, led by opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, the women’s team will be captained by regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and features most of the big names who have been playing regularly.

The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8. The men's cricket event will take place from September 28 to October 8 in the T20 format. The women’s competition, meanwhile, will take place from September 19 to September 28, also in the T20 format. The matches will be played at the Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field.

With both the men’s and women’s teams for the Asian Games 2023 announced, we pick a combined XI featuring both squads.

Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a hundred on his Test debut (Pic: BCCI)

It was really tough to leave out Smriti Mandhana, but given her poor current form and the recent exploits of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the two male cricketers make the cut.

Gaikwad had a solid IPL 2023 campaign, scoring 590 runs in 16 matches at an average of 42.14 and a strike rate of 47.50. He played a key role in Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) title triumph.

🗣️ “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒍, 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚”

A happy and proud @Ruutu1331 is excited to lead #TeamIndia at the #AsianGames 😃 https://t.co/iPZfVU2XW8

Gaikwad’s partner Jaiswal is currently in the news for his fantastic hundred on his Test debut. He was the Player of the Match for scoring 171 off 387 balls against West Indies in Dominica, a knock laced with 16 fours and a six. He too had an impressive IPL for Rajasthan Royals (RR), hammering 625 runs at a strike rate of 163.61.

Middle order: Tilak Varma, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Rinku Singh, and Richa Ghosh (wk)

Rinku Singh had a spectacular IPL season. (Pic: iplt20.com)

Tilak Varma has played some terrific knocks for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL. In 25 matches across two seasons, he has notched up 740 runs at an average of 38.95 and a strike rate of 144.53. The 20-year-old left-handed batter has displayed maturity beyond his age in challenging circumstances.

Women’s skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, meanwhile, will lead the combined Indian XI for Asia Games 2023. She is a proven performer in white-ball cricket and also inspired the Mumbai Indians’ women’s team to victory in the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). Kaur can play the big knocks, while scoring at a rapid pace and can also chip in with the ball.

Rinku Singh and keeper-batter Richa Ghosh can be the finishers in the team. Rinku had an exceptional IPL 2023 campaign for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), playing some scintillating knocks. Ghosh can also come in and play quick-fire cameos, which can swing the momentum of a contest.

All-rounder: Deepti Sharma

There was a tough fight between Washington Sundar and Deepti Sharma for the all-rounder’s slot. However, the former’s inconsistent run and frequent fitness issues come in the way, giving Sharma the nod.

Sharma is a class off-spinner with over 100 T20I scalps and can chip in with handy cameos with the bat.

Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Anjali Sarvani

Arshdeep Singh has made an impressive start to his T20I career. (Pic: Getty Images)

Ravi Bishnoi’s canny leg spin can complement Deepti Sharma. He has been highly impressive in the IPL, first for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and subsequently for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Bishnoi has a good record for India as well, having claimed 16 wickets in 10 matches. Overall, he has 101 scalps in 87 T20s.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will lead the pace attack in India’s combined XI for Asia Cup 2023. Having made a big impact in the IPL, the fast bowler was drafted into the Indian T20I squad and he has not disappointed. In 26 T20Is, the 24-year-old has picked up 41 wickets at an average of 17.78 and a strike rate of 12.7.

Plenty of fresh faces in India's squad for Asian Games 🤩

✍: icc-cricket.com/news/3591340 https://t.co/pP2kZoISq1

Avesh Khan and Anjali Sarvani can be the other two pace bowling options in India’s combined Asian Games 2023 XI. Avesh has claimed 106 wickets in 87 T20s so far averaging 23.94. He has the experience of representing India in five ODIs and 15 T20Is.

Left-arm pacer Sarvani has come up with some impressive domestic performances and has also played six T20Is for India.