Veteran India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has reckoned that ace all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin should lead India at the upcoming Asian Games 2023 if the off-spinner is not part of the ODI setup and BCCI decides to send a ‘B’ team for the event in Hangzhou, China later this year.
Karthik’s comments comes at a time when several reports have suggested that the BCCI will send its both men’s and women’s teams for the Asian Games, scheduled to be held from September 23 to October 8.
However, the Asian Games is set to collide with the 2023 ODI World Cup as India men’s team will also begin its campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai due to which the BCCI most likely to send a second-string team to China.
Meanwhile, it had also come to light that veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, who is currently not part of the main ODI team setup, is likely to lead the team in the quadrennial extravaganza however, Karthik has appealed the selector to name Ashwin as the captain.
“Ashwin is arguably one of the greatest players to have ever played in terms of his quality of bowling and the number of wickets he has picked. I genuinely feel that if India are sending a B team, with the main team preparing for the World Cup, they should make him the captain if he is not part of the ODI setup,” Karthik said on the sidelines of an event.
“I genuinely feel he deserves it and has earned the right of being the captain of the team. I wish they name Ashwin as captain for at least the Asian Games. That will be a feather in his hat,” the 38-year-old added.
Significantly, cricket was last held in the Asian Games in the 2014 edition in Incheon however, the Indian teams didn’t participated at that time.