BCCI unhappy with Asian Games arrangements
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) have reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the facilities and arrangements being made for cricketers at the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
According to a report by ANI, the major concerns include dressing rooms being set up inside tents, washrooms located around 500 metres away, and small hotel rooms for players.
A BCCI source told ANI that the board is not satisfied with the arrangements and may send an observer to Japan to assess the facilities. The observer is expected to submit a report to the board after reviewing the arrangements.
The issue was reportedly raised with Japanese Olympic officials during a meeting involving the ACC. The BCCI pointed out that the dressing rooms have been arranged inside tents, while the washrooms are located nearly 500 metres away, potentially creating an uncomfortable situation for players.
The size of the hotel rooms has also emerged as a concern, with the BCCI reportedly describing them as particularly small.
The Asian Games will begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya. The men’s cricket competition is scheduled from September 24 to October 3, while the women’s tournament will take place from September 17 to 22.
India will enter the men’s competition as the defending champions. At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, India won the gold medal after the final against Afghanistan was washed out, with India being declared winners on the basis of their higher seeding.
This time, India have named a strong squad for the tournament. Shreyas Iyer will lead the men’s side, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain. The squad also includes Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jasprit Bumrah.
The women’s team will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur and features several established senior-level players.
With the tournament approaching, attention is now on whether the organisers will improve the facilities before India’s cricketers arrive in Japan.
