‘Asiad gold won’t be easy’: Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar

India skipper Shreyas Iyer. PIC/BCCI

India will be among the favourites to retain their Asian Games cricket gold medal under captain Shreyas Iyer in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (September 19 to October 4), but former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes the T20 format makes the competition unpredictable.

"With the kind of team that we have and the experience our boys have in T20 cricket, we should be pretty much a leading contender. But because it's a T20 tournament, where the match can turn around in an over or so, it is difficult to say we are certain to win [Asian Games gold]," Gavaskar told mid-day during a select media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.

Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar identified Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Pakistan as India's main challengers. "There are some very good teams there. Bangladesh have been playing good cricket recently. Sri Lanka are always a good T20 team. Afghanistan are around, and Pakistan too. These are the contenders. So, it's not going to be easy. It'll probably be one of the most riveting and competitive Asian Games cricket competitions," he said.

India's poor fielding during their recent UK tour was a major concern, and Gavaskar stressed the importance of being sharp in the field, particularly in T20 cricket. "Fielding is extremely important in all forms of the game, but possibly more so in T20 because sometimes the margin of victory or defeat is just a couple of runs. India will have to be at its very best," he said.

Sunil Gavaskar added that Iyer's captaincy would benefit from having a strong fielding unit. "The captain's job becomes a lot easier if he doesn't have to hide any fielders. The moment he has players who may be good with the bat or ball, but have to be hidden in the field, that is handicapping the team. That is something the Indian team will really have to look at," he explained.

Iyer, who led India to a 2-0 series win over Zimbabwe last July, should not feel added pressure at the Asian Games, according to Gavaskar. "He's very experienced as a captain. We've seen him when he was captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. He's got the experience, so there shouldn't be any further pressure on him for these Games," Gavaskar said.

Sooryavanshi is very smart, we must be patient with him: SMG

Batting icon Sunil Gavaskar insists attacking India T20 opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a ‘very smart' cricketer and we need to be more patient with him. "He's [Sooryavanshi] only 15-years-old. So, he will, as he plays a lot more, get a lot more experience. I think he will use that experience because from whatever little interaction one has had with him, he looks like a very smart cricketer, somebody who learns fast. And we saw that [in the IPL] from 2025 to 2026. In 2025, he was predominantly a straight and an on-side hitter. In the 2026 IPL, he was hitting over long-off and extra cover, he was cutting the ball over deep cover, deep point for sixes. So, he had gone that one step higher. Therefore, with him, we need to be a little more patient," said Gavaskar.