"You Can Call It Classist": Ex-India Star's 'Dangerous' Warning For Asian Games 2026
Former Indian cricket team batter Aakash Chopra raised serious questions over the facilities on offer for the sport at Asian Games 2026.
Former Indian cricket team batter Aakash Chopra raised serious questions over the facilities on offer for the sport at Asian Games 2026. Cricket's inclusion in the 2022 Asian Games led to major concerns about the nature of pitches and Chopra believes that can be the situation once again. The cricket matches are scheduled to take place at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin but the ground was re-modelled from a baseball facility. Chopra said that the pitches can be under-prepared even when the Games begin and can even turn out to be dangerous for the players involved.
“There is a different uproar going on about the Asian Games. We saw it last time as well. Whether it's in China or Japan, these countries have all kinds of top-quality infrastructure, but not for cricket. They also wake up late for cricket. By the time they wake up, they realize that making it is a very difficult job,” Chopra said.
“They have tried, but we saw last time as well that if a top-flight bowler bowls fast, the pitches aren't ready at all. They are actually dangerous to play. You feel the safety of your own players is on the line. They prepare the ground but are unable to prepare the square, and no cricket would have been played on it. You shouldn't be surprised at all if it becomes dangerous,” he added.
Chopra further claimed that there is not much awareness when it comes to the suitability of cricket in multi-sport events.
“The second problem is that there probably isn't enough realisation that cricket is a different kind of sport. The facilities that are required just to perform at the highest level aren't ready at all. They say they can't provide hotels, two people will stay in a room, and that they are using cruise ships or converted containers as hotels. This is not how cricket actually happens,” he said.
“You can call it slightly elitist or classist, as to why it is not right for them when it is right for everyone else. You may have a point, but the truth is that cricket is not played like that. When you go to play cricket around the world, you get a single room to stay. You get your privacy, and you are used to that,” Chopra concluded.