Ruturaj Gaikwad was appointed as captain of the second-string side which will aim for gold in China in the 19th Asian Games. Gaikwad became India's T20I captain before leading an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 franchise. With less than six weeks to go for the T20 format tournament, Gaikwad is looking for the opportunity to lead the side.
“Really thankful for this opportunity. Playing for India itself is a proud feeling. Leading the side in such a big event will be a great opportunity for me personally and also for all the other members. So really looking forward, really happy and obviously very proud,” Gaikwad said in a video posted on Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Twitter.
The team led by Gaikwad will feature debutants Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh. Plenty of players have been rewarded for their IPL performance and have earned the spot in the side as the main side will be busy preparing for ODI World Cup 2023.
“I think it will great fun because we all are youngsters and we have been really gelling around well with each other since the last one or two years, playing the IPL against each other, playing the India A games. Then some India games as well so I think it’s a really fun group to be a part of and I think it will be really exciting for everyone who are part of the squad to represent the country in the Asian Games and obviously to win a medal for the country is something we always grew up watching on television and seeing athletes win it for the country. Obviously to get the opportunity to go out there and win the medal will be very, very special,” the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener said.
“As Indian fans, everyone supports whatever sports the country is playing for. Any series or any World Cups but I think this is something special. We will definitely play a brand of cricket where everyone back home will be proud and it’ll also be exciting to watch. The dream obviously would be to win the gold medal, stand on the podium and singing the national anthem for our country,” he added.
The men’s competition will be played from September 28 to October 8. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a record-breaking 171 in the first Test of the two-Test series against West Indies which the visitors by an innings and 141 runs.
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