The Indian Cricket Team will take part in the 2023 Asian Games to be played in China from September-October this year. They have a strong unit with the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, and other experienced players while there few surprises in the standby and a few notable omissions.
Indian Team lost the 3rd T20I match against Bangladesh at Dhaka and then followed by a poor batting performance in the first ODI loss to Bangla Tigers.
Here are the three bizarre decisions made while selecting the Asian Games squad in China.
- Meghna Singh, Rashi Kanojia, and Monica Patel were excluded from the squad.
Meghna Singh, Rashi Kanojia, and Monica Patel did not get many opportunities on spin-friendly tracks in Bangladesh. Monica Patel found herself behind Anusha Barereddy in the bowling department.
All three players were dropped from the Asian Games squad. Titas Sadhu has been named in the pace bowling department along with Anjali Sarvani while Rajeshwari Gakywad makes a return to the squad.
Meghna Singh had a dream run in the 2022 Commonwealth Games tournament where they lost to Australia in a thrilling encounter.
- Richa Ghosh returns to the squad
Richa Ghosh was dropped from India’s squad for the ongoing Bangladesh tour. She was a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore for WPL 2023 but failed to contribute big runs.
Ghosh did not acquire fitness levels as Yastika Bhatia donned the gloves for the Bangladesh tour. Richa made a return to the Asian Games squad. Ghosh has been the best Indian T20I batter in the middle order and has the ability hit big shots. Ghosh will be looking to showcase her talent in the upcoming Asian Games 2023 and help Team India win a medal for the first time.
- Pooja Vastkar, Sneha Rana, and Harleen Deol were named in the reserves
The likes of Pooja Vastkar, Sneha Rana, and Harleen Deol have been named in reserves for the prestigious tournament. Pooja Vastkar is known for her all-round abilities. She provides the pace and can hit big shots at crucial times which makes asset for any team. Pooja has been excluded from the main squad.
Sneha Rana and Harleen Deol performed brilliantly for Gujarat Giants in the first season of WPL 2023. Both of them were bright spots with a disappointing season. Sneha Rana is known for his all-round abilities that can create impact with both bat and ball.
It will be interesting to see if one of them can be included in the main squad which is a big boost for the Indian team.
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