New Delhi, Sept 4:
Former India batter VVS Laxman will coach the Indian men’s cricket team at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the BCCI announced on Thursday.
Laxman will take charge of the team as regular head coach Gautam Gambhir will be unavailable because of India’s ODI series against the West Indies during the Asian Games.
The appointment marks Laxman’s second stint as India’s coach at the Asian Games. He previously guided the Indian men’s team to the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Laxman will be assisted by former India spinner Sunil Joshi, former batter Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh. The coaching team will oversee India’s campaign as the side seeks to retain its Asian Games T20 title.
The men’s cricket tournament at the 2026 Asian Games is scheduled to begin on September 24, with India set to play its first match on September 28.
India’s squad will be led by Shreyas Iyer, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is also part of the team. Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is among the players selected for the campaign.
The Indian women’s team will also defend its Asian Games title. It will be coached by Amol Muzumdar and led by experienced captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
With both teams entering the tournament as defending champions, India will be aiming for another strong showing in the Asian Games cricket competition.