New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has backed both the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams to successfully defend their Asian Games titles at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, expressing complete confidence in India’s chances of securing gold medals in both events.
“We are fully prepared for the Asian Games. The cricket continent is going there fully prepared. There will be a good show. We will win for sure and get the gold medal, both men and women. There is no doubt about it,” Shukla told IANS at the Asian Games send-off ceremony here in Delhi.
India head into the continental tournament as defending champions in both men’s and women’s cricket, having won gold in both events at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
The women’s competition will get underway with India entering directly at the quarter-final stage on September 18. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 20, with the medal matches to be played on September 22.
The men’s team will also begin its campaign in the quarter-finals, with their match scheduled for September 28. The semi-finals will take place on October 1, followed by the medal matches on October 3.
The BCCI has also finalised the coaching arrangements for the two teams. VVS Laxman, Head of the Centre of Excellence, will take charge of the men’s side for the continental event. Regular head coach Gautam Gambhir is set to take a break ahead of India’s white-ball series against the West Indies, which begins on September 27.
Laxman will be assisted by former India spinner Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh, while Amol Muzumdar will coach the women’s team.
The Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. India will compete across multiple disciplines, with a strong contingent featuring several Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallists.
With cricket returning as one of the key team sports at the continental showpiece, India will look to retain its dominance in the discipline and build on the success achieved in Hangzhou.
–IANS
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