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In a bid to make their mark on the international stage, the Indian cricket team is gearing up for its official debut at the Asian Games 2023 with an eye on clinching the gold medal. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, a key player in the squad, expressed his pride in representing cricket on such a prestigious platform where they have the opportunity to win the coveted yellow metal.
This will mark the second time the Indian men's cricket team will participate in a multi-sport event, the first being at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. However, those matches were not accorded international status and were recorded as List A games.
"Our tournament starts for us from the quarter-final stages. All the teams would be good and well prepared. We hope for the gold medal for the country," said Shahbaz Ahmed in an interview with 'Cricket Basu' on YouTube.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced the 15-member Indian men's cricket team, along with five standby players, for the upcoming Asian Games 2023. The cricket event at the Asian Games will be played in the T20 format and will take place at the Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field from September 28 to October 8.
In the same interview, Shahbaz Ahmed also revealed some fascinating insights into his experiences with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during the 2023 IPL season. He praised RCB's captain Virat Kohli for his super-confidence and dedication, despite the team's unfortunate inability to qualify for the playoffs.
"Our combination (RCB) got into a problem after we kicked off well. We lost a game in Mumbai and Delhi. We had a situation in the team on how to qualify for the play-offs. Kohli said that the forthcoming three matches will be mine and see how I perform. Then in the Rajasthan game, there was very little scope to score big runs, but he scored two back-to-back centuries. Kohli is so ready for the game that he knows when he is going to score big," Shahbaz Ahmed revealed.
Speaking about Kohli's training methods before the 2023 IPL season, Shahbaz Ahmed highlighted the uniqueness and dedication displayed by the batting maestro.
"The way he trains is unique. We used to watch his batting style closely, and it changed after the T20 World Cup. It is not difficult for him. I wonder what he eats. He told us that he has trained for six months over and above his regular schedule. He told us that he did special training for T20 cricket. It's also very tough to bowl against Kohli in the nets and during match scenarios. He is truly special," he added.
With the Asian Games 2023 on the horizon and the IPL offering valuable lessons and experiences, Indian cricket is witnessing exciting developments that could shape the future of the sport in the country. The fans eagerly await to see their national team make its mark in its official debut on the Asian Games stage.
Men’s Team: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wicket-keeper)
Standby players: Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudarsan