Not Gautam Gambhir, but VVS Laxman to coach India at Asian Games 2026
VVS Laxman will coach India's men at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan while Gautam Gambhir stays back at home to prepare for the West Indies ODIs.
Former India batter VVS Laxman is set to lead the Indian men’s cricket team as head coach at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The call was confirmed in a list of the coaches and support staff approved by the sports ministry on Thursday, September 3.
The continental multi-sport event will be held from September 19 to October 4, with the men’s cricket competition scheduled between September 24 and October 3. A total of 10 teams will compete in the tournament.
Laxman will take charge of the side in the absence of regular head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir is expected to stay back in India to oversee the ODI squad during the three-match home series against the West Indies, which starts on September 27.
India’s coaching group for the Asian Games will also include former cricketers Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh. Maroof Fajandar has been appointed as the team leader for the campaign.
The Indian women’s cricket team will head into the Asian Games with Amol Muzumdar and Aavishkar Salvi among the members of its coaching staff.
Shreyas Iyer will captain India in the men’s T20 competition, with Tilak Varma appointed as his deputy. The squad also includes young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest player to represent India at senior level, along with premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
VVS Laxman is no stranger to the Asian Games, having previously guided India to the gold medal at the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China. He has also stepped in as India’s interim head coach during multiple bilateral T20I assignments, including series against Australia, South Africa, Ireland and Zimbabwe.
India will enter the 2026 tournament as defending champions. The sport is set to make its fourth appearance at the Asian Games, although India did not compete in either of the first two editions to feature cricket.
The tournament format will see India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the four seeded sides, begin their campaigns from the quarter-final stage.
The remaining teams have been split into two groups. Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal form Group A, while Group B consists of Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.