BCCI Names Longlist for Asian Games Cricket: Key Players Missing
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a longlist of 30 players for the men’s cricket event at the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, set to take place from September 19 to October 4. Notably absent from the list are Suryakumar Yadav, the current T20 captain, and Shubman Gill, who leads the Test and ODI teams. However, young talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has made the cut, showcasing the BCCI’s focus on fresh faces.
Due to a scheduling clash, the BCCI will have to select two separate T20 teams. This is because India’s home series against the West Indies, featuring three ODI and five T20 matches, runs concurrently from September 27 to October 17. Gill’s commitment to lead the ODIs has resulted in his exclusion from the Asian Games roster.
The men’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games is scheduled between September 24 and October 3, prompting selectors to create a larger pool of players in order to form two competitive squads. Interestingly, Suryakumar’s absence from this list suggests that he may be moving away from planning for future major events like the 2028 Olympics and the next T20 World Cup.
Potential captains for the Asian Games team include Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, and Tilak Varma. Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah is named, but his focus may likely be on ODIs as the 2027 World Cup approaches. Harshit Rana remains on the longlist, alongside Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, as he is expected to recover in time.
In the spin department, prominent bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Harsh Dubey are included, although only two will likely join the Asian Games squad while the others compete in the West Indies series.
Interestingly, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has previously led the team to a gold medal at the Hangzhou edition, is the only major player to make the longlist despite recent struggles.
Longlist Submitted to IOA:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Abhishek Sharma
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Ishan Kishan
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Shreyas Iyer
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Hardik Pandya
- Rinku Singh
- Tilak Varma
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Axar Patel
- Arshdeep Singh
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Prasidh Krishna
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Anukul Roy
- Ayush Badoni
- Harsh Dubey
- Dhruv Jurel
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Shahbaz Ahmed
- Shivam Dube
- Vipraj Nigam
- Harshit Rana
- Yash Thakur
- Washington Sundar
This creates a promising lineup for the Asian Games, ensuring a blend of experienced players and emerging talent.
