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New Delhi . The Indian Cricket Team will have the challenge of repeating the success of 2023 in the Asian Games 2026. Four years ago, India had won gold medals in both men's and women's cricket competitions. This time too, both the teams will enter the field with the intention of defending the title, but compared to 2023, the picture of both the teams has changed a lot.

The most changes have been seen in the men's team. Only five players who were included in the 15-member squad of 2023 have been able to make it to the squad of 2026. Tilak Verma, Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh are the players who are part of the teams in both the editions.

There has also been a change in the captaincy of the men's team. In 2023, Rituraj Gaikwad led the team, while this time the command has been handed over to Shreyas Iyer. Along with Shreyas, the team includes young batsmen like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and all-round options like Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akshar Patel.

A new combination is also visible in the wicketkeeping department. Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have been included in the team. The addition of Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakraborty to the bowling has added experience and variety to the attack. In this sense, the 2026 men's team can be considered to have a different balance than the 2023 team.

In 2023, India defeated Nepal by 23 runs in the quarter-finals of men's cricket. Defeated Bangladesh by nine wickets in the semi-finals. In the final, the match against Afghanistan could not be completed due to rain and the match was no result. On the basis of better ranking, India got the gold medal, while Afghanistan got silver and Bangladesh got bronze.

The changes in the women's team are less than in the men's team. Six players from the 15-man squad of 2023 are also present in 2026. Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh are part of the Asian Games team for the second consecutive time.

The biggest continuity of the women's team is visible in the top order and leadership. Harmanpreet Kaur is once again the captain, while Smriti, Shefali and Jemimah will handle the main batting responsibilities. In bowling, there are options like Renuka Singh Thakur, Radha Yadav, Shri Charani and Kranti Gaur.

In 2023, the women's team played a rain-affected match against Malaysia in the quarter-finals. After defeating Bangladesh by eight wickets in the semi-finals, it won the gold medal by defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final.

The women's team will begin its 2026 campaign against Japan on September 17, while the men's team's first match is scheduled for September 28. This time both the teams will face the challenge of not only winning medals but also maintaining the previous achievement with a changed combination.

Overall, the men's team looks to be more changed in 2026, while the women's team maintains continuity with its key players. This difference can play an important role for India's strategy and performance in the Asian Games.