Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman who will act as the head coach for the ‘Men in Blue’ during their Asian Games campaign said that it is a matter of “great pride” for the player to take part in the Asiad. Indian men’s cricket team will kickstart their Asian Games campaign with their match against Nepal on Tuesday. On the eve of the quarterfinal clash, Laxman talked about the prospect of playing in China and talked about the opportunity that the Asian Games presents to these players. “It is very different we never thought that we would play cricket in China, I think it is a great opportunity for the entire team because participating in the Asian Games is itself a big opportunity and a matter of great pride for all these players,” Laxman told reporters.

(Asian Games 2023 Medals Tally | Asian Games 2023 Full Schedule)

Ruturaj Gaikwad who will be leading India in the ongoing Asian Games is looking to lead the ‘Men in Blue’ in his own style rather than implementing MS Dhoni’s style of captaincy.

Gaikwad has been playing under Dhoni in the Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the past five years as an opening batter.

Now for the first time in his career, Gaikwad will be leading the Indian team in the Asian Games and will eye to walk away with a gold medal.

Ahead of the match, on being quizzed whether he would draw inspiration from Dhoni or not, Gaikwad said, “I have learned a lot. Everyone has a different style his (Dhoni’s) style is different, his personality is differnet my personality is different. So I think I would try to be just myself and look to what he does. Obviously, you have to pick out some things that he really does well, like he handles situations and particular players during the match. I would like to lead the way I want. I just want players to express themselves.”

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