India’s Jewish cricket team that will participate in the Maccabiah Games. Photo: Twitter/Kobbi Shoshani.

India’s Jewish cricket team will travel to Israel to compete on behalf of the South Asian country in the 21st Maccabiah Games, the biggest Jewish sporting event in the world.

The Consul General of Israel to Mid-West India in Mumbai Kobbi Shoshani made the announcement in a Twitter post on Thursday. “Yes We Can! The Jewish Cricket Team will fly to Israel to represent India in the the biggest International Jewish Sport event,” he tweeted. “Thank you the heads of the Jewish communities for your contributions. Bring the gold medal to India!”

The Maccabiah Games, often called the “Jewish Olympics,” is the third-largest sporting event in the world and takes place every four years in Israel. It was originally set to take place in July 2021 but because of the COVID-19 pandemic has been rescheduled to this year from July 12-26. It is organized by the Maccabi World Union and is divided into four competitions: open, masters, juniors and paralympics. Eighty countries have participated in the Maccabiah Games.

India, a leading nation in the sport of cricket, has been competing in the Maccabiah Games since 1953. The country’s delegation won its first medals in 1957 — gold in boxing and table tennis — and India’s cricket team won the silver medal in 2009, according to the United News of India.