India blow for Asiad cricket
Regional powerhouse India will go unrepresented when cricket makes its debut at the Asian Games later this year, providing a body blow to the competition.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Tuesday it would not field the men's and women's teams at the November 12-27 Games in the Chinese city of Guangzhou due to prior commitments.
"We would not be able to send our team, both men and women, for the Asian Games in China because of international commitments," BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty told reporters.
"We have communicated the same to the Indian Olympic Association."
India has huge cricket-mad television audiences, making the team an attractive proposition for any organiser. But the national side is due to host New Zealand in November.
There was no immediate comment from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which had earlier said that cricket was included only after the four Asian Test nations -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh -- promised to send their best teams to the Games.
"India and Pakistan were the drivers," OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah said in May last year while announcing that cricket's newest and popular Twenty20 format would be played at the Guangzhou Games."
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