India will enter the 2026 Asian Gamesunder the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma serving as his deputy. The Indian squad features a mix of established international players and promising young talent as they look to compete for a medal at the Asian Games.
Indian men's cricket team has participated in the Asian Games only once, yet that single appearance produced a gold medal and a set of records that stand out in the history of the multi-sport event. The tournament, played in the T20 format
across all three editions, returned to the Asian Games programme at Hangzhou 2023 after cricket was dropped from the 2018 edition in Jakarta.
India had skipped the 2010 and 2014 editions due to international scheduling commitments, meaning their debut came only at the Hangzhou 2023 Games, which ran from September 23 to October 8, 2023. The men's and women's Indian cricket teams both won gold on their respective tournament debuts at those Games, a double achievement that underlined the significance of India's first appearance on this stage.
Gold medal on debut
The gold medal final between India and Afghanistan at the 2023 Asian Games was abandoned due to rain, with Afghanistan's score reading 112/5 when play was halted. Since no result could be reached, the gold medal was awarded to India on the basis of their higher ICC T20I ranking at the time. Afghanistan, who had won silver at both the 2010 and 2014 editions, collected their third consecutive silver medal in the men's event. Bangladesh defeated Pakistan to claim the bronze medal. India's gold on debut meant they completed the tournament without a single defeat being recorded against them.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's maiden T20I century
Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a T20I century against Nepal in the quarter-final of the 2023 Asian Games, becoming the first Indian batter to hit a hundred in the competition. The knock was also his maiden T20I century at international level, making it a landmark moment in his young career. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan had all entered the tournament directly at the quarter-final stage as seeded teams, so the quarter-final was effectively India's opening match of the campaign. Jaiswal's hundred set the tone for India's run to the final and remains one of the standout individual performances in Asian Games cricket history.
Ravi Bishnoi leads the wicket charts
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi finished as India's leading wicket-taker in the 2023 campaign, claiming 5 wickets across the tournament. His consistent performances with the ball complemented India's strong batting displays and played a key role in the team reaching the final. Bishnoi's haul also placed him among the more productive bowlers of the entire tournament, underlining his value to the side during a short but high-stakes competition where every wicket carried extra weight.
