"Make Him Captain": Dinesh Karthik Backs This Star To Lead At Asian Games. It's Not Shikhar Dhawan

Reports have emerged that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will send teams for the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou in September-October. However, with the event set to take collide with the ODI World Cup on home soil, the board is likely to send a second-string team to China. It was also reported that veteran batter Shikhar Dhawan, who is currently not part of the main team setup, is likely to lead the team in the quadrennial extravaganza.

Speaking at an event, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, however, urged the BCCI to name veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as the captain, only if he is not in the scheme of things for the World Cup.

While highlighting Ashwin's performances over the years, Karthik feels that the 36-year-old has earned the right to become the captain, at least for the Asian Games.

"Ashwin is arguably one of the greatest players to have ever played in terms of his quality of bowling and the number of wickets he has picked. I genuinely feel that if India are sending a B team, with the main team preparing for the World Cup, they should make him the captain if he is not part of the ODI setup. I genuinely feel he deserves it and has earned the right of being the captain of the team. I wish they name Ashwin as captain for at least Asian Games. That will be a feather in his hat," Karthik said at an event.

Cricket was last staged in the Asian Games in the 2014 edition in Incheon. Indian teams had not taken part in that competition nine years ago.