Asian Games 2023: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Team India Face Nepal In Quarterfinals On Tuesday, Captain Takes Inspiration From Chennai Super Kings Skipper MS Dhoni

It's official now: on Tuesday in Hangzhou, the Indian men's cricket team will play their very first quarterfinal match at the Asian Games 2023 against record-breaking Nepal. The men's cricket competition at the 19th Asian Games will include action from the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Indian team.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the opener for the Chennai Super Kings, stated on Monday that he will rely on his unique leadership style to lead the Indian men's squad in their maiden Asian Games cricket campaign. Gaikwad learned a great deal from cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni. India is favoured to win another gold medal, especially in light of the women's team's victory last week.

"I learned a lot from him (Dhoni), but each person has their own unique approach. In front of India's opening match against Nepal on Tuesday, Gaikwad told the media in Hangzhou, "His style is different, his personality is different, and my personality is a bit different."

I'll make an effort to be authentic and ignore what he typically does. Of course, you have to point out a few areas that he excels at, like handling certain players during a game or handling circumstances.

Here are the fixtures of the quarter draw. The next leg of Men's Cricket in the Asian Games is promising to be super exciting!#AsianGames pic.twitter.com/jWZwiNNiao

— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) October 2, 2023

"I would like to lead the way I want to, but these are (a) few things that I truly absorbed from him, obviously. Having scored 590 runs in 16 matches with three fifties, Gaikwad was CSK's second-highest run scorer in the 2023 IPL. "I just want the players to express themselves and give as much freedom as I can," he stated.

India's coach, VVS Laxman, emphasised the unique experience of playing cricket in China and described it as a big chance for the squad. He also emphasised the unique atmosphere and the sense of accomplishment that come with competing in the Asian Games in 2023.

It's a really distinct arrangement. We (would) never have imagined travelling to China to play cricket. The whole crew has a lot to gain from this opportunity. For all of these players, competing in the Asian Games is a huge opportunity and a source of immense pride. "I am really excited about this tournament," Laxman declared the night before India's quarterfinal matchup with Nepal.

Gaikwad expressed the team's shared excitement for winning a gold medal and how witnessing the hardships and daily lives of other competitors in the Games village had given them a greater feeling of pride and understanding of their unique opportunity to serve their nation. Gaikwad said that watching teammates participate in different sports, including as badminton, tennis, and hockey, was thrilling and made the team feel very proud of their country.

"Everyone is excited to represent their nation and take the podium at the Asian Games by winning the gold. Cricket offers the World Cup, the Indian Premier League, and regional competitions. That type of setting and circumstances are nothing new to us. However, after visiting the hamlet and coming here, we learned a great deal about the athletes and the struggles they face, according to Gaikwad.

Rarely do players have the chance to play for and represent their country for two, three, or four years at most. We learned how unique the Games village is from our visit yesterday, which filled us with great pleasure. We already knew this, but it was nice to see it represented the nation a little more.

The captain of India went on to say that the cricket players enjoyed seeing other sportsmen compete. It was an incredible opportunity to watch athletes from our nation compete in a variety of sports, including hockey, badminton, and tennis. It was a source of immense pride. Cheering for our squad was a lot of fun, he remarked.

In other quarterfinal Asian Games 2023 matches, Bangladesh will play Malaysia, Sri Lanka will play Afghanistan, and Pakistan will play Hong Kong. At the Asia Cup 2023, the Nepal cricket team played Team India under Rohit Sharma in an ODI format. Nepal lost the match by ten wickets in the pouring rain.