Former India batter VVS Laxman will take charge of the Indian men's cricket team at the 2026 Asian Games, with regular head coach Gautam Gambhir set to remain with the senior side during the multi-sport event in Japan.
The arrangement is part of the BCCI's split-coaching approach, necessitated by an increasingly crowded international calendar. The Asian Games will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, while India's home white-ball series against the West Indies begins on September 27, creating an overlap between the two assignments.
As a result, Gambhir will oversee the senior Indian team during the West Indies series, while Laxman will lead the Asian Games squad. Shreyas Iyer is set to captain India at the Asian Games as the team looks
to defend the gold medal won at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
Laxman will be supported by former India players Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Sunil Joshi, who will handle batting and bowling responsibilities respectively. The coaching group has already worked together during India's recent assignments involving a second-string squad.
This will not be Laxman's first experience coaching India at a major multi-sport event. He was also in charge when India won the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where cricket made its return to the programme. He has subsequently served as interim coach on several occasions when the regular coaching staff was unavailable.
The former India batting great also recently guided a young Indian side to a 3-0 T20I series victory over Zimbabwe, further strengthening his credentials in managing squads featuring emerging players.
Will BCCI send a second-string team?
Although India has already announced the squad for the Asian Games, BCCI may change its decision to send the elite squad for the competition. They are not happy with the accommodation arrangements by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for the competition, as the images of small rooms and very narrow spaces have caused concern. Amid this, BCCI may send a second string team for the tournament in Japan.
Asian Games India Squad (As of Now)
Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
