Captained by young Ruturaj Gaikwad, Team India claimed the Gold Medal in the Asian Games 2023 Men’s Cricket tournament.
The final between India and Afghanistan was a dampener though, both literally and metaphorically, as the match was washed out by rain after Afghanistan had batted for 18.2 overs.
Why were India given Gold Medal in Asian Games if match was washed out?
India were given the gold medal despite a washout in the final by virtue of having a higher seeding than Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, captained by veteran all-rounder Gulbadin Naib will take home the Silver Medal. They had defeated Pakistan in the semi-final. Bangladesh won the bronze medal after defeating Pakistan in the 3rd place match.
Wishes poured in from all corners for Ruturaj Gaikwad and Team India for bagging the Gold Medal in the Asian Games 2023. There were some funny tweets and memes as well.
Here’s how fans reacted as Ruturaj Gaikwad led Team India to Gold Medal in Asian Games 2023:
Ruturaj Gaikwad had won the toss and elected to bowl first. Afghanistan lost three early wickets and they were in trouble at 12/3 with Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh bowling well with the new ball. Shahidullah Kamal then steadied the innings with his knock of 49 runs in 43 balls. India stormed back again with wickets for Ravi Bishnoi and Shahbaz Ahmed.
The match was stopped with Afghanistan’s score of 112/5 in 18.2 overs and no more play was possible due to rain. The game was called off and India were awarded the Gold Medal as they had higher seeding than Afghanistan when the tournament started.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said: “Following the Women’s Cricket Team’s inspiring gold medal-winning performance, our Men in Blue have taken center stage at the #AsianGames, clinching the coveted GOLD medal!
Huge congratulations to each member of the team, the coaching staff, and everyone who has contributed to this exceptional achievement. 🇮🇳 Your relentless pursuit of excellence has made the entire nation proud!”
