Guwahati: At a time when the International Cricket Council (ICC) is vying for inclusion of the sport in the Olympics and looking to spread its wings in the non-cricketing markets to grow its global reach, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), one of the richest member boards, is still hesitant to field their teams even at the continental level.
Cricket, after being pulled off the roster of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, is set to make a return at the upcoming Hangzhou Games, slated between September 23-October 8. It is, however, highly unlikely that the Indian teams will be in action.
Back in 2010 and 2014 when cricket was part of the Asian Games, the BCCI did not field teams. For the Hangzhou Games, which were postponed after rise in cases of Covid-19 in China last year, the BCCI has cited prior bilateral commitments for both the men’s and the women’s sides.
Interestingly, a few days after the Asian Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is scheduled to hold a session in Mumbai where cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics is likely to be decided.
Coming back to the BCCI’s decision, if one looks at the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), the Indian eves are scheduled to host South Africa and New Zealand in two white-ball series during the Asian Games. And the men’s team will be engaged in a bilateral three-match ODI rubber with Australia as part of preparations for the 50-over World Cup on home soil in October-November.
While it is understood that the cricket board wants to keep its core players safe from any injuries before the ICC World Cup, the BCCI also had the option of sending another team for the Asian Games.
The BCCI had earlier fielded two national teams, and as recently as 2021, when Shikhar Dhawan led a secondary team for a limited over series in Sri Lanka, and the main team captained by Virat Kohli was engaged in a Test tour of England. In 1998, the BCCI had deputed one team for the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, and another team was in action against Pakistan for the Sahara Cup in Toronto.
In 2022, when the Indian women’s team participated at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur had said, “This tournament is very important for us. This time we are playing for a medal. If I speak about myself, we have grown watching these kinds of tournaments and we are glad that we are also getting an opportunity to be part of a big event.”
The Indian women’s team eventually finished with a silver medal after going down to Australia by 9 runs in the summit clash.
At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, India will reportedly field entries for all sports barring cricket. India’s Chef de Mission for the Games, Bhupender Bajwa was quoted as saying that the BCCI has cited prior commitments of both teams for skipping the mega tournament.
Back in 2021, when BCCI secretary Jay Shah was questioned on the matter, he had said that the board will give preference to bilateral commitments, especially after the pandemic. “The BCCI has always stood by member boards and helped them in these difficult times. The board firmly believes in honouring its bilateral commitments,” Shah had said.
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If the broader perspective of the sport gaining popularity in non-cricket markets is taken into consideration, the BCCI’s decision to skip the Asian Games could well be a roadblock in that direction and could hamper the ICC’s bid of becoming a part of the Olympic family for the 2028 Los Angeles, 2032 Brisbane Games and beyond.
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