Asian Games cricket | India men’s side soaks in the Games experience

In the days since the cricket side landed in Hangzhou for the Asian Games, the players have been watching athletes of other disciplines from the stands and mixing with them in the athletes’ village

If you thought the Indian men’s cricket team, taking part in its maiden Asian Games, would not be recognised in Hangzhou, think again. Just as the team wrapped up its net session ahead of its quarterfinal match against Nepal on Tuesday, a member of the medical staff at the training venue walked up to Rinku Singh and asked him for an autograph on the back of his volunteer shirt.

Fu Qinghui didn’t know about cricket till last year. But since Zhejiang University, where he works in the medical department, was chosen as the venue for cricket, he has been fine-tuning his cricket vocabulary. “I have tried to learn the rules and some players of the world. I know Australia, New Zealand and India like this game. In 2011, India won the World Cup,” said Fu, pleased after securing a handful of signatures.

The autograph of India’s first-time skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was the most coveted.

Trading country pins has been among the most sought-after activities for the volunteers and two of them jumped Washington Sundar on Monday, demanding that he keep his promise. “You said you would give us one [pin]. You didn’t, we are now heartbroken,” said one of them, pointing to the pins on her security card. Washington somehow wriggled away from the situation, claiming mistaken identities.

At the nets, it was the bowlers’ turn to strap on the pads and get some batting practice. Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan were facing throwdowns from the coaching staff and the part-time spinners, including Yashasvi Jaiswal.

When Jaiswal tossed one up, Bishnoi stepped out and smacked the ball to the leg side. “That’s a six!” yelled Arshdeep. When Jaiswal protested, Arshdeep reasoned, “Yahan 47m ka boundary hai, ye shot 52m tha (The boundaries are 47m long here, and the shot was at least 52m).”

The boundary dimensions will come into play when India takes on Nepal at the Pingfeng Cricket Campus. Last week, Nepal became the first men’s team to go past 300 in T20is while Kushal Malla (34 balls) and Dipendra Singh (9 balls) shattered the fastest hundred and fastest fifty records in the same game. Dipendra, who broke Yuvraj Singh’s feat for the fastest 50, also hit five consecutive sixes in an over. If Bishnoi can strike past 50m, imagine the carnage the likes of Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh can unleash in these conditions.