India are the defending gold medallist in both men's and women's cricket competitions at Asian Games. (PTI)Cricket’s inclusion at the 2023 Asian Games had raised questions about the nature of pitches prepared in the multi-sport events, and ahead of the 2026 iteration, former India batter Aakash Chopra has questioned the relevance of the sport in the continental tournament.Cricket at the forthcoming Asian Games in Japan will be played at the Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, one of the few venues designed to host the sport in the country. However, the ground was re-modelled from a baseball facility, with works of the ground only completed in late March, with a hybrid pitch square.Chopra, however, cautioned that under-prepared pitches at the Games could 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.ALSO READ | Cricketers will get best accommodation at Asian Games: Japan cricket chief“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 added that there is not enough awareness yet about the suitability of cricket in such multi-sport events. Cricket has previously been played only in three editions of the Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023.Story continues below this ad“The second problem is that there probably isn’t enough realization 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 observed.Twelve nations will compete in cricket in the men’s and women’s formats between September 17 and October 3. The Indian men’s and women’s will begin their gold medal defence with a direct berth in the quarter-finals.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.Tags:Asian GamesCricket