VVS Laxman will coach India at the 2026 Asian Games, while Gautam Gambhir stays with the senior teamHere’s why the BCCI made the decision.
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VVS Laxman to coach Team India at the Asian Games 2026(Photo: X)
VVS Laxman will take charge of the Indian men’s cricket team at the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in JapanThe former India batter, who is currently the Director of Cricket at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, has been named head coach for the Asian Games.
Laxman will be assisted by Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep GhoshThis will not be his first stint as coach at the Asian GamesHe was also in charge when India won the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Why VVS Laxman has been chosen over Gautam Gambhir?
Regular India head coach Gautam Gambhir will stay with the senior team during the Asian GamesHe will oversee India’s home ODI series against the West Indies, which begins on September 27.
With the schedules overlapping, the BCCI has decided to send Laxman to Japan to take charge of the men’s team at the Asian Games.
The cricket competition at the Asian Games will begin on September 24, with India set to play their opening match a few days later.
Amol Muzumdar to continue with Women’s team
Amol Muzumdar will continue as head coach of the Indian women’s teamHe will be assisted by bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi and fielding coach Munish Bali.
The women’s team will also be aiming to defend the gold medal it won at the 2023 Asian Games.
India’s route in the Asian Games
The Indian men’s team will face the second-placed side from Group A, which features Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal.
The women’s team will enter the competition at the quarter-final stage and face Japan.
India will be looking to defend their respective titles from the 2023 Asian GamesShreyas Iyer will captain the men’s side, while Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the women’s team.
Young batting talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been included in the men’s squad.
India Men’s Asian Games 2026 Squad
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India Women’s Asian Games 2026 Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Gunalan Kamalini, Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Nandani Sharma.
Laxman eyes another Asian Games gold
With Laxman returning as coach, India will look to defend their gold medal in the men’s eventThe women’s team, meanwhile, will aim to continue its strong run under Muzumdar.
The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya will provide another important opportunity for Indian cricket on the multi-sport stage, with both teams aiming to retain their titles.
