In the Asian Games women’s cricket, India is the early favorite, but other countries are catching up.

India is the dominant power in Asian women’s cricket; they have won the Women’s Asia Cup seven times, most recently in 2022, and have advanced to the semifinals or beyond at the previous three ICC Women’s T20 World Cups. They are therefore the clear favorites to take home the gold in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Mithali Raj, a former captain of India, gave an alert that the country’s closest Asian competitors are closing the gap, particularly in the T20 format. She noted the recent victories of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, both of which defeated top nations like England, New Zealand, and South Africa. She claimed that Bangladesh had performed well when facing India. Raj expects the Asian Games to be extremely competitive despite being the favorites.

On Thursday, India will face a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the quarterfinals of the women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games. The semifinal match against one of the other top four Asian countries—Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or Bangladesh—will be their genuine test.

In the semifinals of the Asian Games women’s cricket competition, India is most likely to play Bangladesh. Since Bangladesh has been playing well lately, including a 3-0 home victory against T20 World Cup champions South Africa, this will be a hard test for India. The second semifinal matchup is expected to be between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Since the dramatic conclusion of the Bangladesh series, in which Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain, was given a two-match suspension, India has not played a game. While the team’s lineup selection has drawn opposition, there is no question that India’s team is talented.

The Asian Games gold medal is all that matters to India’s young team, which has an average age of 23.7. Shefali Verma, Richa Ghosh, and Titas Sadhu are three members of the U19 World Cup-winning team. Both Minnu Mani and Kanika Ahuja represent bright talents. Veteran Jemimah Rodrigues has a successful recent record against Asian opponents.

“It’s preferred to introduce new players while the elders are still around while developing a squad, especially a strong second string.  But even the youngsters in this squad have good experience and are seasoned players,” said Mithali.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar has once again been awarded temporary leadership over India, which has been playing without a regular head coach for the past nine months. For a squad that wants to perform well in important events, the backroom staff’s stability is not ideal. India also has a disadvantage in recent game experience because their rivals are far better prepared for the competition than they are.

The ideal squad has a constant coach, according to Mithali. This allows the team’s captain and coach to create a common goal. This vision can be disturbed by frequent coaching staff changes, which will cause a focus on immediate outcomes rather than long-term objectives. Having a clear vision and strategy in place is crucial when assembling a team for a significant event. I do not doubt that the squad is focusing on this as the World Cup approaches.

India has improved its results recently, but the squad has yet to take home an important senior trophy or medal. Whether or not the Asian Games qualify as a big event is debatable, but a gold medal for this team would be an important achievement.

It’s one thing to be the favorite, but quite another to wear the medal around your neck, as Mithali put it. “And in order to do it, you must act properly. India must fulfill its potential since no one would hand it to them kindly. Similar to how we measure up to Australia, we must always raise our bar. India’s ability to take home the gold in this competition will help us advance. That gold medal would give me a lot of confidence.

India’s squad for the 2023 Asian Games:

• Captain: Harmanpreet Kaur
• Vice-captain: Smriti Mandhana
• Batsmen: Shefali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Amanjot Kaur, Devika Vaidya, Titas Sadhu
• Bowlers: Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Minnu Mani, Kanika Ahuja, Uma Chetry, Anusha Bareddy, Pooja Vastrakar

Asian Games 2023 Women’s cricket schedule