The peak of the Asian Games in India has set cricket eyes on a momentous 2023

 The peak of the Asian Games in India has set cricket eyes on a momentous 2023

The peak of the Asian Games in India has set cricket eyes on a momentous 2023

India's rise as a global athletic force will be put to the test in 2024 at the Paris Olympics, but reasonable goals should be set.

Whether India's best athletes has the abilities and mental fortitude to compete at the highest levels in a variety of sports will be determined in 2024.

It is a highly encouraging indicator when one of the world's biggest and youngest nations advances quickly in sports. India is clearly transitioning from a cricket-playing country to one that is really pursuing Olympic sports if we look at the international results in 2023. This increasing prominence will be confirmed in 2024 when the Paris Olympics will determine if India's best athletes have the abilities and perseverance to compete at the greatest levels in a variety of sports.

In sports, team and individual accomplishments are often used to gauge success. With a record-breaking 107 medal haul at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in both situations, 2023 has been an incredible year made possible by forward-thinking policies backed by both public and commercial sectors.

With 107 medals gained in 16 international competitions, archery has been the most successful sport of the year, if world javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra has been India's top worldwide ambassador due to his consistency. In the last 48 years, the Indian Archery Association has produced world champions in compound archery, including Ojas Praveen Deotale and Aditi Gopichand Swami, although the nation has never won as many medals. Regretfully, mixed archery is not included in the Olympic Games.

In India, no sports year is complete without discussing cricket. However, unlike the accomplishments of the Asian Games, cricket did not provide the expected outcomes. India had a golden opportunity to recover some dignity in the ODI World Cup, but Australia again denied them after Australia crushed India by 209 runs in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June.

Talk about cricket

It was a huge setback for the Rohit Sharma-led Indian squad to lose the ICC ODI World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad in "home" circumstances, although they played with incredible form all throughout. This World Cup demonstrated that, while requiring more preparation and effort, the 50-over game format is nevertheless just as thrilling as the easy 20-over game. It would be as crazy to ignore 50 overs at a time when Test cricket is under threat. Cricket's lengthier forms have a certain allure.

While cricket is becoming more and more of a digital (OTT) product, television is still popular and draws large audiences. By strategically allocating its media rights across digital and linear (TV), BCCI has been able to expand the game. India is firmly establishing itself as the leader of the commercial ecosystem thanks to its robust finances, and there's no denying that the BCCI has "informal" influence on the International Cricket Council's operations, particularly when it comes to scheduling international matches. The issue arises.

The stability of cricket has also come under scrutiny due to big money. It's concerning that large, well-funded corporations like Byju's, MPL, Vivo, and Paytm are no longer sponsoring cricket. Furthermore, the involvement of banks and fintech firms like as IDBI in cricket sponsorship seems more like a band-aid solution. Any financial institution that is dependent on the state of the market will always be an unstable business, in contrast to a strong Tata Group that seeks to use the purchasing power of the younger generation and has a variety of income sources. However, BCCI has always prevailed in spite of the commercial circumstances.

without a recession

backed by Reliance There's no denying that Viacom is the most passionate broadcaster. Viacom gained the digital rights to all domestic and international cricket in the 2023–2028 cycle for Rs 5,963 crore, after purchasing the Indian Premier League's digital rights for Rs 23,758 crore in June 2022. Viacom's willingness to pay Star India an extra Rs 8 crore for each international match demonstrates how passionate it is about cricket rights.

There is a difference between business sense and desperation. Over the years, Star India has spent a lot of money to get the BCCI and ICC rights. This startling rights battle has been caused entirely by STAR. Star, which now has the rights to the IPL on TV, could have suffered from overspending. Disney, the company's current owner, has been significantly more prudent with money, prioritizing financial acumen above caution. When it came to placing a bid for the BCCI rights, Disney steadfastly refused to go beyond the limit.

For the average cricket fan, nothing matters more than the team's performance on the field. There has been a lot of talk about building a new national white ball squad that is more ambitious, effective, and has a fresh look since the team hasn't seen much international success. The two best batters in India, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are the center of attention. Hardik Pandya, an accomplished batter, has joined the Mumbai Indians after the team decided in December to name him the IPL captain for the 2018 season instead of Rohit. not produced any worthwhile work for the world. However, India's prospects may suffer if they ignore both Rohit and Kohli for the ICC T20 World Cup, which will take place in the USA and the West Indies in June.

Indian cricket players do not naturally retire. Superstar cricket players often want to hold onto their positions until they are asked to stand down or are pushed out, as seen by the game's history. Now is the time for chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Rahul Dravid to make some difficult choices depending on each player's contribution and skill. That measure should be used to evaluate Rohit and Kohli rather than feelings. It is important to note that three of India's best batsmen—Ravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Sachin Tendulkar—sat out of the 2007 T20 World Cup, which India won in its only tournament under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

Olympic aspirations once again!

The Paris Olympics in July and August will be the main event on the packed sports schedule for the New Year. In the French capital, the amount of development achieved by India's athletes, both para and able-bodied, since Tokyo 2020 will be evaluated. Although India has performed well in Hangzhou, its aspirations will need to be moderate and prudent given the global context.

Despite their lackluster performance in Tokyo 2020, the shooters will still have India's best chance in Paris given their present international form. In order for India to surpass its previous best of seven medals in Tokyo, shooters will need to join the celebration. Chopra will have pressure to retain his Tokyo championship, but if he is fully healthy, the superman of athletics who won the World Championships in Budapest this year possesses the endurance and mental toughness to peak at the ideal moment.

India's para-athletes never stop promising things. At each international gathering, he consistently raises the bar. India finished with 111 medals overall at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games 2023, including 29 gold medals. The para athletes, who are receiving a lot of help from the government to realize their goals, have the potential to surpass their current record of 19 medals if they can stay on course. included the five golds at the Paralympics in Tokyo.