Shikhar Dhawan set to make a return in Indian colors, to lead India's second string squad for Asian Games: Report

Team India's cricket schedule is pretty exciting this year. India lost to Australia in the World Test Championship final, which was the highlight of the first half of the calendar. The team will now focus on the second half of the year, which includes the Asia Cup and the highly anticipated ODI World Cup at home.

The Asian Games are also in the mix, which will be held in Hangzhou from September to October, and the Indian cricket board has opted to send teams there. India's World Cup preparations will overlap with the men's competition; hence a backup team is anticipated to compete in the continental championship. As the captain of the India B team that will compete in the quadrennial spectacle, Shikhar Dhawan's name is making the rounds.

At the Games, a women's team will compete at full strength and will be the favourite to take home the gold. The last time cricket was played at an Asian Games was in 2014 in Incheon. Nine years ago, there were no Indian teams competing in that event.

Both the men's and women's teams will compete at the Games, and as reported by Hindustan Times, a senior Indian team member is set to return to the team for the competition. According to a Hindustan Times report, Shikhar Dhawan may return as the team's captain for the Asian Games while India's primary team continues to prepare for the World Cup.

Shikhar Dhawan might make a comeback to the team

“Shikhar Dhawan's name is doing rounds as the captain of the India B team that will take part in the quadrennial extravaganza,” as reported by Hindustan Times

The star India opener's erratic performances in the fifty-over format have kept him out of the Indian ODI squad since December of last year. Shubman Gill, a youthful opener, took over for him; Dhawan has not yet represented India in any format this year. This won't be Dhawan's first opportunity to captain the Indian team, as the left-handed opener already led the team in a three-match ODI series against New Zealand last year and in ODIs and T20Is against Sri Lanka in 2021.