The Indian football team faced a tough 5-1 loss to China in the Asian Games 2023, leaving fans disheartened. Despite the defeat, they received support from unexpected quarters – the Indian women’s cricket team. Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana shared a heartwarming video on her Instagram story featuring her teammates Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Devika Vaidya cheering for the football team from the stands.
In the video, the cricketers can be seen passionately supporting the Indian football team during their challenging match against China. Smriti Mandhana captioned the video with “These kids” and tagged her fellow cricketers, expressing her admiration for their enthusiastic support.
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The Indian women’s cricket team is also participating in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they aim to make a mark in the cricket event. Notably, major cricketing nations like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have received direct entry to the quarterfinals. India’s first match in the Asian Games cricket event is scheduled for September 21, where they will face one of the qualifying teams.
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The Indian women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy, is determined to perform well and aim for the gold medal, following their silver medal win at the Commonwealth Games last year.
However, the team had to make a last-minute change to their 15-member squad due to an injury to Anjali Sarvani, who was replaced by the talented all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar. The squad also includes players like Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, Sneh Rana, and Saika Ishaque as standby players.
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In addition to the women’s cricket team, the Indian men’s team is also participating in the Asian Games, with Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the squad. Both teams are eager to represent India with pride and bring glory to the nation in their respective events.
