Harmanpreet Kaur will be able to play in the final only
Indian team captain Harmanpreet Kaur will not be able to play in the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals of the Asian Games. Harmanpreet was recently banned for two matches for publicly criticizing the umpiring in the ODI against Bangladesh. She will not be able to play in the quarter-finals which will of course be against an Associate country followed by semi-finals against a Full Member country. It is considered a big blow for the Indian team.
Harmanpreet Kaur is the captain of the Indian women’s team as well as the leading batsman. The responsibility of the middle order of the team rests entirely on his shoulders. Now going without him in two big matches could cost India dearly. Both are also knockout matches. Defeat means that India’s dream of winning the gold medal will end.
Women’s final will be held on 26 September
There will be 18 teams in the men’s competition while 14 teams will play in the women’s section. The women’s events will begin on September 19 and conclude with the gold and bronze medal matches on September 26. The men’s event will begin on September 28 and the final will be played on October 7. All matches will be in T20 format.
If the Indian men’s cricket team qualifies for the final, they will have to play on three consecutive days – October 5 (quarterfinals), October 6 (semi-finals) and October 7 (final). In all likelihood, India’s quarter-final will be against second-tier side Afghanistan or Bangladesh as the main teams of both the countries will be in the ongoing World Cup in India at that time. There will be a total of 32 matches in both men’s and women’s events at the Hangzhou Games, of which 18 will be for men and 14 for women.
(with inputs from the agency)