The Indian men’s cricket team, led by Shreyas Iyer, has started training in Aichi-Nagoya for the Asian Games. They will face Afghanistan in their opening match on Monday, aiming for a gold medal to match the women’s team’s recent victory.
Team India began training on Sunday ahead of their men’s cricket campaign at the Asian Games, with the side set to begin its campaign against Afghanistan on Monday. During the training session, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, skipper Shreyas Iyer and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi were among the players present.
After the women’s team secured gold in the cricket competition, the Indian men’s side will now look to continue the country’s medal-winning run and aim for a double podium finish in cricket. India completed their title defence in women’s cricket, with the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side beating Sri Lanka by 147 runs to clinch the gold medal.
Recalling Hangzhou Heroics
During Team India’s previous visit to the Asian Games in Hangzhou, some of India’s future T20 World Cup-winning stars brought the gold medal to India, beating Afghanistan on the basis of being a higher-seeded team after the final was washed out. The team was led by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain and Indian middle-order batter Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Spotlight on Captain Shreyas Iyer
Now, the men’s team will be led by ‘Sarpanch Sahab’, Shreyas Iyer, India’s T20 captain. The presence of several of India’s leading international players makes this one of the country’s strongest cricket contingents at the Asian Games.
Shreyas, who has won an Indian Premier League (IPL) title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) for Mumbai as a captain and led Delhi Capitals (DC) and, in 2025, Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL finals, will be aiming to get another accolade as a captain.
India men’s cricket squad for Asian Games 2026
*India men’s cricket squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Vipraj Nigam, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. (ANI)
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