India's men's and women's cricket teams are set to participate in the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September-October, the BCCI confirmed on Friday.
The Asian Games is scheduled to be played from September 23 to October 8. This is the first time India will be sending a cricket team to the competition.
It is noteworthy that cricket has only featured twice in Asian Games, in 2010 and in 2014. It was, however, left out of the event in Jakarta in 2018.
While a second-string Indian team will participate in the men's competition, a full-strength side will be picked for the women's event due to the competition coinciding with the Men's ODI World Cup starting October 5.
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The BCCI, in an official statement, said, "Through effective planning, communication and coordination, the BCCI aims to navigate those challenges successfully and contribute to the national cause by fielding a team in both men's and women's categories (at Asian Games) in line with the Government of India's directions."
In 2010, Bangladesh won the cricket gold medal, whereas Sri Lanka took the top honours in the 2014 edition.
Both men's and women's events will be played in the T20 format.
